Update:

"Hello again everyone! Thanks to all who entered my little contest, and a huge thanks to Krix for helping me do it. Congratulations to Erika H. of Canada...The Matrix Online Game is on it's way to her. Again, thanks to all who entered, and have a great day!

Renie

"Hi Guys! Renie here. I have a brand new copy of The Matrix Online Video Game, plus a subscription card for more Matrix Online game time. The package is new, but the box is a bit ripped, and I did open the box to insert the subscription card, which was sold separately. If you'd like a chance to win this way cool prize, just answer this question correctly:

Name 3 films in which Keanu is not holding or drinking beer

This just ain't right.

-via metafilter

The bigass Matrix DVD box set hits the stores today. I'm not rushing out to buy it due to both time and money but I'm sure I will eventually. I expect the Keanurati will have lots of screenshots and whatnot by the end of the week. I know I'll eventually get it because I'm a sucker for those extras.

For insights into the subtle direction of actors, watch as Larry Wachowski gives cues to star Keanu Reeves, suspended on wires for a fight scene, in a manner Ingmar Bergman may never have considered: "Head jerk. Then thrashing. Then a big thrash. And another one. Then clench. Tighter. And die."

-from a Time magazine article about the DVDs

Actually, now that I think about it, I may have heard those exact same instructions on a date once.

DVD.IGN.com has a full review of the upcoming 10 disc Matrix set that includes some really nice screenshots showing the quality of the new transfer.

All and all the set, including audio and extras gets a score of 9 out of ten.

-via KeanuWeb

The Matrix comes in at #9 in the Top Ten Sci-Fi movies of all time.

Huzzah.

Well, the good news is you can get your super special Matrix Trilogy 10 DVD set in a special box with Neo de Milo and a cute little book this Christmas. The bad news is that the Keanu commentary previously reported? Not gonna happen. Feh. According to the report at thedigitalbits.com (via keanuweb):

There will be two audio commentaries for each film - one from philosophers Ken Wilber and Cornel West (who analyze the meanings behind the films), and one from three professional critics who hated all three films (no names given). According to Andy Wachowski, "It's the best idea we've ever had. It's hilarious. They just sit there and rip the shit out of us for six hours."

Hee! That is hilarious. I can't wait.

Also in DVD news, Mayor of the Sunset Strip was released on Tuesday. Yes, it's true that Keanu is only in it for the 2 seconds, as seen in the trailer, but if you have an interest in music and the LA scene it's definitely worth the rental.

Wait, there's more. The sucktacular Even Cowgirls Get the Blues will be out on DVD in November according to DVDanswers.com(via keanua-z). I have it on video from my "must have everything" completist phase a couple years ago. It's bad. Really bad. Recommended to rent ONLY if you've never seen Keanu as the asthmatic Julian Gitche AND you have a coupon or something.

Unless you've been trapped in limbo or living in an underground city near the core of the earth, I'm pretty sure you've heard that the marketing team over at WB is set to give us red pill addicts an overdose with a Matrix 10-disc DVD set just in time for Christmas....

In case you haven't, here's what the set (which should come with its own APU to carry it) shall include:

• Disc 1: The Matrix - with all-new transfer & audio commentary

  All-New transfer supervised by the Wachowskis and Director of Photography (DP), Bill Pope

  Audio commentary by Keanu Reeves["Yay!"--krix], Carrie Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, DP Bill Pope And Other Cast And Crew

  The Matrix Revisited (180 Minutes) - same special features as previous release

• Disc 2: The Matrix Reloaded Extended Version

  New cut incorporating 55 minutes of footage shot for the Enter The Matrix game.

  Audio commentaries by Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Production Designer Owen Paterson, 2nd Unit Directors David Ellis And Kimble Rendall and other cast and crew.

• Disc 3: The Matrix Revisited - original version with behind-the-scenes footage.

  Audio commentaries by Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Special Effects Supervisor, John Gaeta; editor, Zach Staenberg and other cast and crew.

• Disc 4: Matrix Reloaded Revisited - special features (180 Minutes) - Includes all-new footage including dozens of never-before-seen cast and crew interviews, scene dissections, explorations of the production design and special effects, and more.

• Disc 5: Matrix Revolutions - Original Cut With Audio Commentaries

• Disc 6: Matrix Revolutions Revisited - (180 Minutes) - Includes all new footage including dozens of never-before-seen cast and crew interviews, scene dissections, explorations of the production design and special effects and more.

• Disc 7: The Animatrix

• Disc 8: The Roots Of The Matrix - 3 Hours Of Features

  The Matrix And The History Of The Action Genre - examines the many influences of action cinema that make up The Matrix

  Brainiacs' Revenge - Scholars, philosophers, theorists, and charlatans deconstruct the intellectual underpinnings of the trilogy

  The Science Behind The Fiction - Is the notion of a real matrix plausible? An investigation of the technologies that inspire the metaphor of The Matrix

• Disc 9: The Burley Man Chronicles (75 minutes)

  The Burley Man Chronicles - The "human" story of the making of The Matrix, as well as the game Enter the Matrix

  Rave Reel- A club-oriented montage of unused and newly edited footage from Reloaded.

  Spoofs Of The Matrix -The "Best-Of" these various clips

• Disc 10: The Zion Archive - A Tour Of Matrix Design Concepts, Storyboards & Drawings

  The set will also contain a 20-page soft cover Matrix booklet.
  

Seems like pretty much everything a Matrix fan could want, right?

Well, except for that DVD standard- DIRECTORS' COMMENTARY.

Sigh.

That's right. The Brothers W. still "don't wanna talk about it". Instead, there will be commentary by Cornel West, who also appeared in the films as a member of Zion's council and by Ken Wilber who is apparently some fabulous philosopher and a good friend of Larry W.'s.

BUT!

If you go to integralnaked.org's what's new section you'll see that there is audio of Ken Wilber in an an interview with Larry Wachowski about The Matrix. (Thanks to Petra)

"In the [...] dialogue, for the first time ever, we are lucky enough to hear Larry publicly comment on this situation. As he explains, the movies were in many ways designed not to give answers, but to introduce questions. What does it mean to be human? What is reality? Who is in control? Does God exist? and so on. If he was to explain what he thought the movies meant, he would be providing people with another concept of reality to either accept or reject—either way, the open space created by the question would vanish."

IntegralNaked.org is an interesting site that delivers "Behind the Scenes with the Most Provocative Thinkers in Today's World".

Whatever, dude.

It's also subscription-based so be prepared to whip out your credit card to hear the interview. There is a first month free deal if you really want to check it out, frankly they lost me at "tres cool!" (plus, isn't there an old joke that says "I don't want to part of a club that has Billy Corgan as a member?" Maybe I'm paraphrasing...)

Anyway, yes, I'm sure I'll be drinking the WB kool-aid and getting this set when it comes out, because they've hooked me with the Keanu commentary and extra behind-the-scenes (I so love to watch him at work). I really wish that Larry and Andrew would have done some commentary, though. I loved hearing from them in Revisited.

The Matrix 101 has part 2 of Stephen Faller's article series on feminist themes and symbolism in the Matrix Trilogy.

"It could be argued, in fact, that Trinity is a neo-Pygmalion (no pun intended). Pygmalion is the story of a woman who is created around the personality of a man, by him, and for his enjoyment. Maybe this is Trinity -- not that she was created by Neo, but that maybe she represents the new ideal of how nerds like their women. Are her qualities really hers, or does she represent the epitome of what nerds really desire? She knows her computers. She’s physically fit. She’s lusty and aggressive about satisfying her desire. She resorts to violence to solve her problems (in that she’s more concrete than emotional in problem-solving). She’s jealous. And she’s devoted."

Click the quote to go read the whole piece.

TheMatrix101.com has all kinds of interesting reading. Definitely worth checking out.

Once again, when you thought that you've looked at The Matrix from every angle, someone comes along and adds a whole new dimension.

Stephen Faller, who wrote Beyond the Matrix and also the 5-part essay: The Passion of Neo, has started a new article series on feminist themes and symbolism in the Matrix Trilogy entitled The Matrix and The Mater over at The Matrix 101.

"I wanted to start a series of articles called "The Matrix and The Mater" because a number of my readers are women and they have expressed considerable interest in these themes. Elsewhere, I have written about the white, male privilege as depicted by the Agents, and the issues of patriarchy as depicted by the Architect (perhaps Derrida would say the Patriarchitect). But I had never explored the feminist themes strictly for their own sake, and upon further study, I discovered a gold mine of insights into the movies."

The series will be in four parts, stay tuned to Stephen's website or the much-easier-on-the-retinas Matrix 101, which is chock full of all sorts of Matrixy goodness. I especially like the "Did You Know?" feature.

• KeanuWeb reports that Lou Taylor Pucci's site reports that:

  Lou [..] was reshooting scenes For "Thumbsucker" with Director Mike Mills, Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Tilda Swinton, in fact he said he felt like he was in "The Matrix" as he was shooting scenes in the daytime with Keanu and at night with Carrie-Anne Moss [who just joined the cast of Lou's newest project, titled "The Chumscrubber"]...

• USA Today (and a bunch of other sources) reports that Keanu will be honored for his work in action movies at the upcoming Taurus World Stunt Awards, which are scheduled to air on May 26 on SpikeTV.

  The awards, which recognize the men and women who put their lives at risk to make fights, explosions and tall-building falls on TV shows and movies look more realistic, will be presented May 16.

  The 39-year-old Reeves will receive an honorary trophy for best action movie star. His films include The Matrix trilogy, Speed and Chain Reaction.

  "Keanu's work with The Matrix trilogy was some of the best from an actor of his generation," said Gernot Friedhuber, executive producer of the show. "He has consistently shown an ability to learn from the stunt teams on his many films and has expressed a genuine interest in the field of stunt work."

  
  
• becky's Paulie will be tending goal at two charity hockey games this weekend in Calgary and Vancouver. See HollywoodCelebrityHockey.com for details.
  
• Keanu co-star Diane Keaton makes People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful list. The man himself is overlooked once again, which is fine as it allows me to keep up the tradition of NEVER, EVER buying People Magazine.
  
• Vibemerchants officially have a new drummer, and she has a rad haircut (which allows me to usurp her old one, glee!) and completely rocks. Expect gigs as soon as July.
  
• Red Bull comes in handy to carry 4-packs now. Be still my heart......no, really.
  

According to this press release, The Matrix Reloaded is nominated in in two MTV Movie Awards categories : Best Kiss (Keanu and Monica) and Best Fight (Keanu and Hugo)

You can vote and see clips at MTV.com

The MTV Movie Awards airs on June 10th at 9PM

On Saturday afternoon, I finally got around to watching the Matrix Trilogy from start to finish. I love the way it all fits together and anyone that continues to bitch about these movies can freaking bite me.

My....so eloquent today, no?

Seriously, though. In watching the three together I really saw things brought full circle. And also with the help of the subtitles, I caught a lot of important dialog that had gotten by me before. One thing that stood out was Morpheus' speech in the temple.

"Tonight let us send a message to that army. Tonight let us shake this cave! Tonight let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone! Let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember. This is Zion! And we are not afraid!"

The citizens of Zion dance to shake the earth, to show the machines that humanity is not afraid. It wasn't a "cave rave", it had purpose and especially cut with Trinity and Neo's lovemaking it makes so much sense. Again, anyone who bitches about that scene not making sense or going on too long can bite me.

Anyway, I could probably go on and on, but not today.

For more deep mind feeding matrixy goodness, Stephen Faller, author of Beyond the Matrix, has written a 5 part article , The Passion of the Neo.

The first 4 parts can be found at his website

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

UPDATE: Part 5 is now up at The Last Free City, I imagine it will be also at Mr. Faller's website shortly.

-via The Last Free City

Today's the day! Bring on the behind the scenes featurettes!

Oh wait.....

I've got a Matrixfest in one hand and a drummerquest in the other.

Damn, it looks like I will miss out on the mass consciousness of synchronized matrixy viewing goodness because we're practicing with (hopefully) a drummer tonight.

If he actually shows up it'll be worth it, though.

KeanuA-Z.com has a huge collection of screen captures from Revolutions up.

Wowsers.

One more day until full-on trilogy goodness. I can't wait to watch all three films together.

Some of you lucky ducks already have your Revolutions DVD!

Thanks to Niobe for this scan of the cover of the German DVD booklet that I've sized for wallpaper.

"The first film shook the foundations of Hollywood and instantly became one of the most enduring film images of the modern era. Not only a special effects film, The Matrix blended an incredibly intricate storyline with mind-blowing special effects, something which audiences took to immediately. A sequel wasn t immediately on the cards, but with the film's success it was probably inevitable. The Matrix Reloaded was born.

The second film tried to take the action and, more importantly, the story to a new level. Special effects were again the focus with some of the most visually appealing showcases sequences since, well, the first film. The narrative was really beefed up the second time around, much to the detriment of keeping the audience in touch with what was going on. I swear I could see a giant question mark over the whole cinema on first viewing, and a smaller version when I reviewed the new release DVD. But, like all great trilogies, the third installment is always the one to behold. Bring on The Matrix Revolutions."

Go to DVDanswers.com for Pete Roberts on the film, the transfer and the extras of The Matrix Revolutions DVD, due for release early next month.

This gorgeous drawing of Neo (found at Keanuweb) was done by a russian artist (and Keanu fan), "Coffs", who has a website with some more lovely artwork, both hand drawn and digital. Check her out.

After you've filled up on eye candy, feed your mind by reading Brian Takle's insightful and interesting essays about the 2nd and 3rd chapters of The Matrix Trilogy.

Then, when you're feeling all smart and brainy, feel free to come do my taxes for me while I learn Funkytown.

VFX Expert to Speak at Art Institute in San Francisco Bay Area students, visual effects fans and members of the public are invited to learn some of the visual effect secrets used in "The Matrix: Revolutions" during a special presentation at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco.

The event will feature Mike Morasky, a visual effects expert who worked on all three of The Matrix films. Using clips from the film, he will show how visual effects were used to bring the film's sentinel machines to life, and also explain the visual effects pipeline in a motion picture production.

The event takes place 7 to 9:30 pm; Wednesday, March 3, 2004 at The Art Institute of California. Click here for more information on attending.

Sounds interesting, if I was in the area I'd go. It's only five bucks and there's snacks, even.

Speaking of VFX and the Matrix, anyone else blowing off the Oscars this year?

Roi (very excitedly and pleased with himself) brought me a copy of December's Maxim magazine because it has an interview with Hugo Weaving that mentions Keanu:

So we hear that you Australian men are all supposed to be tough. Are you a tough guy?

No, I'm not. [whispers] Don't tell anyone.

No martial arts background?

Not at all. My background for the last 20 years has been that I'm an actor, prepared to jump in and do whatever is necessary for the role, whether that means bulking up or getting frail or getting really fat or whatever.

Any workplace injuries?

We all had our knocks and bruises, but certainly there were a few more serious injuries too. When you get up to take 17 doing the same movement that involves, like, kicking in the ribs, you know, you're all black and blue.
There were times I wanted to go home.

Did you ever "forget" to pull a punch and actually bean Keanu?

Yeah, I hit him in the face every now and then, but he did the same to me. So first there's a little suspicion and then an apology. Keanu Reeves is a gentleman. By the time we got on set, we were pretty careful not to whack each other around too much.

Did you have any idea that The Matrix would explode the way it has?

No one really knew for sure. The more we worked on the first one, the more I felt the Wachowski brothers are wonderful people. They are really intelligent and interesting, funny guys. They conceived it in such detail. The more we worked on it, the more we realized it was pretty extraordinary.

There. Now I can get this magazine back to him and out of my car...

Also, Justin Clark of Screenwriter'sVoice selects "Why, Mister Anderson, Why?" as one of the top 11 scenes of 2003:

#10 - "WHY, MR. ANDERSON, WHY?" FROM "THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS"

BY THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS

Description: A bloody, broken mess of Neo continues to rise against a seemingly triumphant Smith, prompting the ultimate questioning of Neo's motives.

Why: I can hear the flames in my inbox now. But, I continue to stand by this trilogy. I continue to believe. And I relish the fact that time will smile very fondly upon this trilogy when the clouds of hype and expectation die down. And I offer this scene as solid proof. Granted, this scene is pretty much owned by Hugo Weaving from end to end. But again, what has always kept me rapt and attentive to this trilogy is how the ideas and influences at hand mix together to create something unlike anything American film has seen. What we have here is the bookend to an incredible anime-influenced fight, given human perspective by a rebel computer program who honestly cannot grasp the human propensity to keep fighting, even when there's zero hope for any victory. The Wachowskis ask all the right questions, and give Smith all the right lines to say, but Weaving gives it life: a combination of confusion, pity, and unflinching superiority. Say what you will about the series as a whole, but the Wachowskis have at the very least left cinema history with one of the most interesting villains in history.

Key Elements: A simple response to a big question; Hugo Weaving's gloriously over-the-top final portrayal of Agent Smith.

I certainly agree that "time will smile very fondly upon this trilogy".

"What was it like shooting with Keanu Reeves? That was a great fight you both had in the Tea House."

Collin Chou: Yuen wo-ping did a great job on the fights, along with his team. I was very impressed with Keanu Reeves' work attitude. He only trained for half a year to prepare for his part in the Matrix sequels. From watching the movies, you can see that he has attained such skills that are equal to many martial artist who have been training since childhood. You can imagine if Keanu had started his martial arts training when he was a child, his abilities would surpass many of the martial artists of today.

-Read the whole interview at KungFuCinema.com

To the one searching for "keanu with balls"....

I'd say he certainly has some balls here.
Mmmmm.....spandex.

*wink*

Read This.

Really interesting. Thanks, Nudel.

'Matrix' suite soon available for concert programmes:

Don Davis and his orchestrator Erik Lundborg are currently working on a concert suite based on the three critically acclaimed scores for the Matrix films. The suite will be approximately twenty minutes and in three movements using material from each and one of the films: The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The suite is being re-orchestrated for a standard orchestra, which means that the brass section will be different from the original scores, the percussion will be reduced a bit, and there will only be one piano.

The first movement of the suite, featuring music from the first film, will be performed in concert by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden in three film music concerts from 18th-20th March 2004. More information about this event when the complete programme is ready.

Thanks to Lisa, of DVDfanatic.com, who sends news of an exclusive Q&A with Warner Home Video about the DVD release of "The Matrix Revolutions" at DVD Fanatic. (This link was also posted yesterday in the comments by Melissa, but I wasn't paying attention. Sorry and thanks)

Along with a little more detail on the features and extras of the 2-disc set, Warner shimmys like a lap-dancer around the pressing question...

Question: Are there any plans for a special edition DVD?

WHV: The Wachowski brothers are extremely creative and have a rich and complex vision for this story and WHV is continuing to work with them to bring their vision to the fans. We have no specific plans for a special edition that we can discuss today.

Which pretty much means "Just buy the DVD. Of course there'll be a special edition someday, but we can't say that now because we don't want you putting off purchasing our yummy Matrixy goodness in April for it. Ask us again around Thanksgiving 2004."

Everything That Has a Beginning Has an End: ``The Matrix Revolutions'' Premiering April 6 on DVD and VHS From Warner Home Video

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2004--Warner Home Video:

-- Must-Own Explosive Conclusion in the Unparalleled "Matrix" Trilogy -- One of the Most Successful Film Franchises Ever, Having Grossed Over One Billion Dollars Worldwide Box-Office This Year

-- Mind-Bending DVD Bonus Features Transport Fans on an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Journey Into the Creation of "The Matrix" Phenomenon

-- "Two Thumbs Up!" -- Ebert & Roeper

-- "A mesmerizing conclusion to the best trilogy in cinematic history." -- Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV

The end is near as the epic war between man and machine reaches a thundering crescendo with the must-own DVD and VHS release of "The Matrix Revolutions," the stunning action-packed final chapter to one of the most highly touted and groundbreaking film series ever produced. Debuting April 6, 2004, from Warner Home Video (WHV) and Village Roadshow Pictures, "The Matrix Revolutions" will be priced to own at $29.95 SRP for DVD and VHS priced for rental.

Released in an unprecedented worldwide scenario that unveiled the film simultaneously in 80 countries around the globe, "The Matrix Revolutions" debuted to the worldwide box-office gross of $310 million in its first 10 days of release. One of the biggest film franchises of all time, "The Matrix" trilogy has grossed a staggering $1.5 billion dollars in worldwide box-office receipts to date.

Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and produced by Joel Silver, "The Matrix Revolutions" stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Jada Pinkett Smith.

DVD ELEMENTS

The two-disc DVD release includes hours of bonus features:

-- Revolutions Recalibrated -- A behind-the-scenes overview that drills deep into the groundbreaking work that went into the final chapter.

-- CG Revolution -- Explore the special effects arsenal and take an inside look at the making of the creatures and environs of the CGI-intensive third movie.

-- Super Burly Brawl -- A crash course on the final Neo/Smith showdown with three multiple video streams: storyboards, behind-the-scenes and the final scene all running in sync.

-- Follow the White Rabbit -- Watch the special features and select the White Rabbit icon to go further into the making of the film.

-- Neo Realism: The Evolution of Bullet Time -- A closer look at how "Bullet Time" was taken to the next degree of madness.

-- Super Big Mini Models -- The intricacies of filming in the world of models and miniatures.

-- Double Agent Smith -- A look at what it took to make this incredible scene, including the work to replicate Hugo Weaving, with body doubles, lifelike mannequins, head casts and costumes.

-- Mind Over Matter: The Physicality of "The Matrix" -- A look at what it takes for the actors and stunt people to perform the dramatic stunts of "The Matrix."

-- Future Gamer "The Matrix Online" -- An introduction to the massive multi-player game "The Matrix Online," created by the Wachowski Brothers.

-- 3-D Evolution -- Transition to different levels of the Matrix to view concept art, storyboards, pre-visualizations and realizations for several elements in "Revolutions"

-- Before the Revolution -- 3-D timeline of the concurrent story development occurring in the Matrix between the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Animatrix," and "Enter the Matrix."

-- Theatrical Trailer -- Weblinks to the official "Matrix" website and "The Matrix Online" test site

SYNOPSIS

In the powerful final chapter of the "Matrix" trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves) took another step forward in the quest for truth that began with his journey into the real world at the outset of "The Matrix" -- but that transformation has left him drained of his power, adrift in a no man's land between the Matrix and the Machine World. While Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) holds vigil over Neo's comatose body, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) grapples with the revelation that the One in which he has invested a life's worth of faith is merely another system of control invented by the architects of the Matrix. During the stunning conclusion, the rebel's long quest for freedom culminates in an explosive battle. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense -- but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?

BASICS

DVD - $29.95 SRP
VHS - Priced for rental
Street Date: April 6, 2004
Running time: 129 mins.
Rating: R (for sci-fi violence and brief sexual content)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

With operations in 82 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

Congratulations to Laurence Fishburne on his NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Matrix Revolutions.

....for getting all of that crack off of the streets, as you're obviously smoking it...

Academy Announces Films in Competition for Visual Effects Oscar

Beverly Hills, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the seven films being considered for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 76th Academy Awards.

The films in consideration are listed below in alphabetical order:

• The Hulk
  
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
  
• Peter Pan
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
  
• X2
  

Fifteen-minute clip reels from each of the seven films will be screened for the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee on January 21. The members will then nominate three of these seven films for Oscar consideration.

The finalists will be announced along with nominations in 23 other categories on Tuesday, January 27, at 5:30 a.m. PST.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2003 will be presented on Sunday, February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrival segment.

The Hulk?
The fucking Hulk gets Oscar consideration and neither of the Matrix films do?

(Not that I actually saw it, but I'm pretty sure that this is six kinds of wrong.)

Thanks to Nook for bringing this to my attention and also for the link to this petition about it.

Since they're apparently scared of technology, if you really want your opinion heard you might want to compose a good old-fashioned letter to the Academy of Arts and Sciences and send it to:

Thanks to Mikey2 for the link to The Matrix Online, the online role playing game based on the world of The Matrix due to be released next year. Looking at the screenshots it seems either they expect a lot of women to be playing, or maybe a lot of teenage gamers just want to see what it's like to kick someone in the neck while having really big boobs.

And speaking of boobs, Pam Anderson and Jenna Jameson are scheduled to appear on Spike TV's Video Game awards tonight, but I don't see Keanu's name there anywhere.

You can tape or TiVO it if you think he might be on, but I think I would have felt a surge of sexy if he'd been in Vegas on Tuesday.

Thank you to Nadia for this....

'Matrix,' other geek icons become philosophy-class fodder

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Long after The Matrix Revolutions morphs itself off the big screen, the eternal battle of reality versus illusion, fate versus free will and good versus evil will rage on in philosophy classrooms everywhere.

The third and final installment of the trilogy opened November 5 on more than 10,000 screens at the exact same time, and, in spite of mixed reviews, soared quickly to No. 1.

"It didn't raise as many philosophical issues as the other two, but there certainly was a philosophical overlay to the darn thing," said Theodore Schick Jr., head of Muhlenberg College's philosophy department.

He's one of many educators across the country using pop-culture examples of timeless conundrums to challenge students into new thoughts. "It's what a liberal education should do: liberate people from preconceived ideas and prejudices," said Schick.

He's also one of the professors who contributed to a recent book, The Matrix and Philosophy, which reached the New York Times best seller list earlier this year.

To briefly sum up the plot of the movies, the matrix is an illusion generated by robotic machines that have finally gotten their revenge on humans by enslaving them as living battery cells. Humans don't know this, however. They think they are living free.

Along comes Neo (Keanu Reeves), who just may be The One to lift the veil and set humans free; his wise mentor and rebel leader, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne); and Neo's love interest, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). They have the ability to travel between reality and illusion, kung fu fighting with robots and battling giant metallic squids. Symbols from the works of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell and James Frazer abound.

In his introduction to The Matrix and Philosophy, William Irwin, assistant professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, describes the Matrix writers and directors, the Wachowski brothers, as "college dropout comic-book artists intrigued by the Big Questions."

In his contributed chapter, "Fate, Freedom, and Foreknowledge," Schick addresses a predominant Matrix topic: Is anyone -- man or machine -- free, or are they slaves to inescapable destiny?

Schick said there are only three branches of philosophy, and the Matrix trilogy supplies examples for them all.

Metaphysics asks: What makes something real or not real? If all that exists is matter and motion, what is a mind? Can a computer like Agent Smith, Neo's nemesis, have a mind?

Epistemology asks: What is the nature of knowledge? "Skeptics say we can't acquire knowledge by means of the senses, because we can't be certain that what our senses tell us is true," said Schick. So how can we be certain that we're not living in the matrix?

Ethics asks: What makes something right or wrong? Is all that matters in life having good experiences even though you're a "brain in a vat," or the kind of choices you make?

"Neo thinks that leading a good life requires making good choices," said Schick, which brings up the whole issue of fate and free will -- the illusion of a choice, or a real choice -- which leads back to metaphysics.

The Matrix and Philosophy was published before the second movie, The Matrix Reloaded, was released, "but I got the Oracle right, suggesting that she really didn't know the future but was using humans' faith in her to manipulate them," said Schick.

Schick also has contributed a chapter to another book in Irwin's series, Seinfeld and Philosophy. Schick analyzed the final, "Good Samaritan" episode of Seinfeld, in which Jerry and friends end up in a Massachusetts jail for not coming to the aid of an injured person, or even calling 911 on their cell phone.

"What is our obligation to our fellow human beings?" Schick asked, comparing the libertarian duty not to interfere with the communitarian obligation to help.

And he's also in the latest Irwin book, The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy with a chapter titled "The Cracks of Doom: The Threat of Emerging Technologies and Tolkien's Rings of Power."

Schick's contribution examines what we should do with technologies that threaten to destroy us, said Schick, just like J.R.R. Tolkien's rings gave their possessors wealth or dominion over others, but also had the power to corrupt.

Some people think we should stop all research into genetics, robotics and nanotechnology because they have the potential to destroy the human race, said Schick. "We should throw these technologies back into the fire," just like the Council of Elrond voted to destroy the One Ring of Sauron, the Dark Lord, he said.

The Return of the King, the final film in the adaptation of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fantasy, opens December 17. It follows hobbits Frodo and Sam into the land of Mordor to destroy Sauron's ring of power.

Schick also finds material in Tolkien's story as a study in loyalty and courage. "Frodo is seduced by the ring, and Sam keeps him true," he said.

"The original theories of ethics developed by Plato and Aristotle were based on virtue, in which a good life was one that was led in accordance with the virtues, such as temperance, courage, loyalty, honesty and prudence," he said.

Students: For an easy A, expound on this in your next classroom discussion: What are the philosophical implications of Hugo Weaving, the Australian actor who is Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, also playing Elrond, the elven Lord of Rivendell, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

If you're keen on the music of the Matrix, you should check out MatrixBeats.com. It lists music from all the films, the trailers, the Animatrix and even the game.

Thanks to Rhonda for the link.

By the way, did you know that the Revolutions CD is enhanced? Pop it into your computer.

I'm still enjoying it in the car, especially on the way to work. Yesterday was yet another somewhat surreal driving/listening experience.
Let me just say, if you have the chance to listen to Neodämmerung in the pouring rain, do it.

And then be prepared to laugh maniacally when you come around a corner and see yourself reflected in the back of a gasoline truck emblazoned with the word...Mobil, because it's just all too weird.

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) --Neo is indeed mightier at the box office than Frodo.

In a game of revision and counter-revision, the title holder for the biggest worldwide opening in history -- which has passed during the past few days from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" to "The Matrix Revolutions" and then back to "Two Towers" -- is once again in the "Matrix" camp.

After adding in some late-arriving international grosses, Warner Bros. is now claiming victory for "The Matrix Revolutions," which amassed $202.8 million in its first five days since opening last Wednesday. That puts it slightly ahead of New Line's "Towers," which racked up $201.9 million in its first five days late last year.

The contest over bragging rights began Sunday when Warners estimated the five-day opening of "Revolutions" at $204 million. The studio issued a news release dated Monday that hailed the film as "the biggest consecutive five-day opening in motion picture history."

At the time, New Line's last-reported tally on "Towers" stood at $201.4 million.

Advantage: Warners.

But later Monday, Warners revised its number down slightly -- to $201.4 million.

That would have put Warners in a dead heat with New Line, except that since New Line last reported its $201.4 million figure in May, it revised the "Towers" number, raising it to $201.9 million, which put "Towers" $500,000 ahead of "Revolutions."

Advantage: New Line.

On Wednesday, however, as a few more international dollars trickled in, Warners revised its "Revolutions" take up to $202.8 million, slightly above the revised New Line number on "Towers."

Current winner: Warners.

Overall winner: Time Warner, which owns both studios. (It's also the parent company of CNN.)

"We've never released this broadly before and in this many countries, so it's been an incredible challenge coming up with an accurate box office count for this many territories," said Veronica Kwan-Rubinek, president of Warner Bros. Pictures International Theatrical Distribution.

"When we released in 107 markets, we were in many territories that we don't traditionally track daily box office figures."

"Revolutions" went out in a record 94 countries, 107 markets and with more than 10,000 prints internationally in an unprecedented day-and-date, hour-to-hour release November 5.

Kwan-Rubinek also noted that various countries were on holiday Monday, which delayed getting accurate numbers, and she also said that smaller countries usually take extra time to tally.

The newly revised international box office for "Revolutions" is $119 million, up slightly from the $117.6 million reported by the distributor Monday. In either case, in terms of its international grosses, "Revolutions" easily topped the first five days of "Two Towers" in the international marketplace, which brought in $99.8 million.

"Revolutions" earned a relatively disappointing $83.8 million in its first five days of release in North America, compared with about $102 million for "Two Towers."

In its first seven days, "Revolutions" has amassed a worldwide gross of $232.2 million, with $93.6 million coming from the domestic side and $138.6 million from international receipts. Traditionally, the international side of the "Matrix" series has outperformed the domestic side, and the third film in the series looks to continue that pattern.

MovieMistakes.com already has over twenty mistakes spotted in Revolutions.

From the 'quite nitpicky, actually':

"In the rain battle scene, where Neo is laying on the soaked ground after crashing into the road, Neo's ear is filled with water, in the next shot, the water is gone. Neo's head hasn't moved between the two shots."

[Stop scrutinizing my sweet baboo's ears you maniacs.]

To the 'well, this is sort of important':

"In the train station, the Indian program explains to Neo that he cannot come with his daughter because it is his karma to keep doing his job as a program. In both Hinduism and Buddhism (it is not definite which religion he is) karma is the overall value of one's spirit, or soul. The concept that he was speaking of was dharma, which is the duty that a soul is obligated to perform."

Reloaded has a count so far of 80 mistakes spotted, and The Matrix? 112.

Also Matrix related, this entry has taken on a life of its own as a idea exchange for cracking the new 128-bit code over at the official site.

Which is just so cool I can hardly stand it. You rock on hax0r boys!

What's the difference, in movie terms, between want see and must see? Answer: the second and third Matrix films. Before it opened in May, The Matrix Reloaded had fans drooling to find out how Larry and Andy Wachowski, the gifted brothers behind The Matrix, would expand the first movie's vistas and visions. That's want see in its most avid form. It earned Reloaded a record $209 million in its first 10 days but only $72 million in the rest of its run, a sure sign it disappointed its audience. So when the trilogy's finale, The Matrix Revolutions, arrived last week, seeing it was not so much a craving as a duty. Hence must see. As in must eat soybeans. Must visit Aunt Harriet. Must complete my set of Matrix in-theater viewing experiences.

Like Reloaded, Revolutions begins with no flashbacks, no summary of the story thus far. For those who are hazy on the battle of the reborn computer whiz Neo (Keanu Reeves) and his band of rebel humans against Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and the nasties of the virtual-reality Matrix, a brief refresher course is in order.

The 1999 original was a genuine Neo classic. It trumped its nifty martial artistry and digital effects with a theme of self-discovery in the great heroic tradition. So, what did the brothers do for an encore? They spread the sequel over two feature-length films and, with all that time to fill, got a little gassy in their storytelling. The rebel fortress of Zion was a drab lair whose denizens engaged in way too much Jedi Council — style nattering. Then — as if producer Joel Silver had pleaded, "Could you please have somebody hit somebody?"--Reloaded 180'd into an action film, with the most elaborate car chase ever shot but without the first film's zip or resonance.

Well, Silver did warn us: M2, he said back in April, was "only half a movie." Revolutions is the other half, and if it doesn't touch the original for sheer cinematic wow, it's a big improvement over M2 and brings the enterprise to a satisfying climax.

Neo is now unplugged, lost in a nightmare realm between the Matrix and the machine world. He's pursued by Smith, who has gone free-lance and has become a fatal computer virus. Neo's friends Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) can't count on him, so they must plan the defense of Zion with the help of only the fractious rebel commanders. Their immediate obstacle: the pruny, petulant, dangerous Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). Their possible key to Neo's location: the Oracle (Mary Alice), who, we learned in M2, is a computer program and not always trustworthy.

The movie takes its time reaching warp speed. The Zion debates drone on, and much of the acting and dialogue is stilted, perfunctory, at a level somewhere between a Star Trek TV episode and a Star Trek convention. But the ass kicking starts early, when Morpheus and Trinity have a cool fight with the Merovingian's goons. Meanwhile, Neo is being dogged by a "human" whose voice sounds ... strangely ... familiar. Our hero's lids are seared shut, and through the hot coals of his X-ray eyes, he sees Smith, grimacing triumphantly. It's one of the epiphanies of the movie year.

Any martial trilogy needs a climactic battle scene. This one pits the humans against a swarm of the Matrix's sentinels — those metal octopests, those enemy anemones that chased the humans in M1 and M2. They're back in megaforce, forming a snake shape that rears and strikes at Zion. So the human soldiers get outfitted in gigantic robot armor — clinking, clanking, clattering collections of collagenous junk.

Ah, yes: The Wizard of Oz. That's the touchstone here, not just in the war of a few good guys against a vicious aerial host but in Neo's trip to the Machine (Emerald) City to meet its virtual vizier — who, as seen on a giant screen, looks a bit like the Oz wiz in the 1939 movie — and learn how to get home.

Somehow, though, you knew that the fate of the universe would hang on the outcome of a kung-fu fight between Neo and Smith. It comes at the end on and above city streets in a slow, heavy rain. The trilogy ascends and soars with the two combatants and ends not with a whimper but with a blast of light.

Thus the fabulous original film has found an honorable way to sign off. For those who didn't bother to join the early crowds, The Matrix Revolutions is a definite might see.

The Matrix Revolutions Ignites Global Box Office Revolution with $204 Million Opening, Setting a New Record for the Biggest Consecutive 5-Day Opening of All Time

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2003--Matrix fans around the globe turned out in record numbers to experience Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' The Matrix Revolutions, the final explosive chapter in the blockbuster Matrix trilogy. The combined five-day opening weekend box office receipts for The Matrix Revolutions totaled a staggering $204 million, charting the biggest consecutive five-day opening in motion picture history. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Additionally, The Matrix Revolutions scored the biggest international weekend of all time with an estimated $118.6 million, and set a new domestic record for the second largest R-rated opening ever behind The Matrix Reloaded with an estimated $85.470 million. The film also earned an estimated $14.9 million in the UK, Japan $14.8 million, France $11.2 million, Germany $8 million, Spain $6.3 million, Italy $6.2 million, Australia $5.5 million, Korea $5.2 million, Russia $4.8 million and $1.5 million in China.

In an unprecedented global release distribution scenario, Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures unveiled The Matrix Revolutions to fans in every major city around the world at the exact same moment in time on November 5. The film opened simultaneously at 6 a.m. in Los Angeles, 9 a.m. in New York, 2 p.m. in London, 5 p.m. in Moscow, 11 p.m. in Tokyo and at corresponding times in over 90 additional countries worldwide. Marking the widest global opening ever, The Matrix Revolutions launched approximately 18,000 prints in 109 markets on six continents, ranking it #1 around the world. The film was also simultaneously released in 60 IMAX(R) Theatres worldwide.

"It required the unparalleled efforts of our international teams on six continents to bring this film to 107 markets simultaneous to its release in the United States and Canada," Kwan-Rubinek said. "It is (therefore) extremely gratifying to see these terrific numbers reflect the impact of everyone's efforts worldwide."

"The zero hour simultaneous opening of The Matrix Revolutions once again positioned the Matrix films as the cutting edge experience in motion pictures, and we're thrilled that this remarkable trilogy continues to break global box office records with the performance of Revolutions," Fellman added.

"This achievement is a testament to the brilliant vision of Larry and Andy Wachowski, the work of our exceptional cast and crew, and the devotion of Matrix fans around the world," said Joel Silver, producer of the phenomenal Matrix trilogy. "The film's unprecedented zero hour release and the record-breaking audience turnout worldwide makes for the perfect ending to our incredible five year journey in bringing the Wachowskis' groundbreaking trilogy to the screen."

The success of The Matrix Revolutions comes just five months after the record-shattering release of the trilogy's second chapter, The Matrix Reloaded, on May 15. To date, The Matrix Reloaded has earned over $737.9 million in worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2003 and the highest-grossing R-rated film in history, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, Reloaded scored the domestic record for the largest single week ever with $158.2 million and reached $150 million in a record-breaking six days. Internationally, it is the 10th highest grossing film of all time, and is the first film in history to gross more than $100 million in a single weekend.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment, a Silver Pictures production, The Matrix Revolutions, starring KEANU REEVES, LAURENCE FISHBURNE and CARRIE-ANNE MOSS. The film also stars HUGO WEAVING and JADA PINKETT SMITH.

The Matrix Revolutions is written and directed by THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS and produced by JOEL SILVER. The executive producers are ANDY WACHOWSKI, LARRY WACHOWSKI, GRANT HILL, ANDREW MASON and BRUCE BERMAN. The director of photography is BILL POPE, A.S.C.; the production designer is OWEN PATERSON; the editor is ZACH STAENBERG, A.C.E.; the music is composed by DON DAVIS; the visual effects supervisor is JOHN GAETA; and the costume designer is KYM BARRETT.

The Matrix Revolutions is being released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

This film has been rated "R" by the MPAA for "sci-fi violence and brief sexual content."

KEANU RELOADED
'Matrix' star had to be smart as a whip to shake image of being dumb as a post

By Stephen Whitty
Newhouse News Service

NEW YORK -- Keanu Reeves is smarter than you think.

Sure, those two long-ago "Bill and Ted" movies stereotyped him in a heinous way. ("I used to have nightmares that they would put 'He played Ted' on my tombstone," he admitted.)

And, yes, he has said some silly things in the past and even merits his own chapter in the snarky book "Movie Stars Do the Dumbest Things."

And -- OK, OK -- he does tend to overuse the word "awesome," and salute people with "hey, man," and wonder aloud about things like spontaneous combustion, and did utter the movies' most famous "Whoa!" in "The Matrix."

But Keanu Reeves is also smart enough to love Shakespeare, and read the great Russian novelists, and listen to Joy Division. He's been smart enough to say yes to working with Gus Van Sant and Bernardo Bertolucci, and no to making "Speed 2."

And he was smart enough four years ago to see something in the screenplay for "The Matrix," and to sign on for a sci-fi milestone -- and increasingly profitable payday. (Reeves' reported salary on "The Matrix Revolutions," which opened Wednesday: $15 million plus 15 percent of the gross.)

"When I saw the script for the first one, there was just a kind of modernity in it that appealed to me," he says, sprawled in a Manhattan hotel suite. "The synthesis of all the forms -- classic myth, a love story, even kung fu. I loved that. And the question, 'What is the Matrix?' you know, being really 'What is the world? What is reality? How do we get past that veil to see the truth?' I thought that was fantastic."

The movie's vision of a sexually liberated, casually colorblind society appealed, too.

"It doesn't draw attention to itself and yet it's there," says Reeves of a script by the reclusive directors Larry and Andy Wachowski that gives equal weight to all its characters. "It takes this opportunity to go beyond racial issues and gender orientation to create this kind of inclusive world, and I thought that was a really cool element as well."

The movies don't often feature that sort of multicultural world. Yet, growing up, it was the only one Reeves knew. [...]

"It was just awesome," Reeves remembers happily. "There was no fear, no worry -- I remember chestnut fights, and hide-and-go-seek games that would go on in the street until 11 o'clock at night. . . . People fought, but it was never about anything more than two people wanting to fight. I didn't hear a racial epithet until I was in high school, and when I did, I was just like, 'Are you kidding me? Did you actually just say that?' "

Reeves wasn't much of a presence in high school, where he seemed to major in hockey. But then one day in a sophomore English class, he was called on to recite one of Mercutio's scenes from "Romeo and Juliet." And something happened.

"I just remember that it was really fun, and I felt really alive, and I said, 'This is what I'm going to be,' " he says. " 'I'm going to be an actor.' "

The boy who had no interest in going to school during the day started taking serious acting classes at night. By 22, he'd landed a couple of parts on Canadian TV and a supporting part in the Rob Lowe film "Youngblood." Encouraged, Reeves moved to Los Angeles, where he got a bigger part in a better film: the creepy, alienated "River's Edge."

It was a dark little classic about aimless youth, but co-star Crispin Glover got most of the attention, while Reeves got stamped as a pleasant, not-too-bright hunk. Signing on for "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 (and then doing the voice for the Saturday morning cartoon spinoff, and returning for the 1991 movie sequel) only confirmed his image as a handsome, vaguely hammered high schooler.

It was profitable for a while, but in the end it was unwelcome and mostly undeserved. Reeves' performance as the clueless Ted was sweet and unforced, and gave Hollywood its funniest dope since Sean Penn lit up "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Yet while everyone knew Penn wasn't Jeff Spicoli, no one seemed able -- or interested -- in telling Reeves apart from Ted.

Eventually Reeves pulled himself out of the rut by taking on more challenging material such as Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho" and Bertolucci's "Little Buddha." Neither was a mainstream success, but they helped Reeves shake the surfer-dude image and rebuild his credibility as something more than a movie stoner.

Then "Speed" hit and made him a major star at 30.

Since then, Reeves' career has been marked by some odd choices and even odder films. (Remember "Feeling Minnesota"? "The Last Time I Committed Suicide"?) For every "Speed" and "The Matrix," there have been two or three or four films such as "Sweet November," "The Watcher" and "Johnny Mnemonic."

His life has been marred by some horrible tragedies, too. [...]
Some of that Reeves has used in his work ("I've lost my best friends," he says, "and that can't help but be a part of certain scenes"). Much of it he's tried to deal with and move past.

And so Reeves now plays bass in an underachieving band called Becky. He rides vintage motorcycles, way too fast. He thinks about marriage, and kids, but not too much. ("Before you get married, you have to meet someone you want to marry, and you can't control that.") He hangs out with old buddies, some of whom he's known since grade school.

"I've been fortunate to make some pretty incredible friends in my life, and friends keep you down-to-earth," he says. "But my nature is pretty down-to-earth anyway."

He still looks like a college senior and talks like a bright high-schooler, but Reeves turns 40 next year. Although he has a number of projects either already finished or lined up -- including the romantic comedy "Something's Gotta Give" in December -- he has "no idea" what the next decade will be like. This one has been dramatic enough to last for quite a while.

Mostly, he says, he's looking forward to continuing to act, to "finding the truth in the make-believe," and to simply enjoying life.

"I watch my little goddaughter and I think, life is so precious, so beautiful. There's so much possibility and potential in it. It's all such a gift. So why can't we just enjoy it?"

It's not such a dumb question. And sometimes Keanu Reeves sounds like he just might be smart enough to figure it out.

LOS ANGELES — Which way do you spin "The Matrix Revolutions"? The third movie in the cyberpunk trilogy earned $24.3 million at the domestic box office in its first day of release, Warner Bros. said Thursday.

That's a great one-day total for any other movie, but it comes in far below what "The Matrix Reloaded" collected in its nationwide debut last spring.

In May, "Reloaded" opened with a few late-night screenings on Wednesday evening and earned about $5 million. Then it expanded to 3,600 theaters on Thursday and earned about $37.5 million, according to Brandon Gray, proprietor of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

At the time, Warner Bros. lumped the Wednesday totals in with the Thursday figures and announced a total debut of $42.5 million for "Reloaded."

Gray said there may have been less anticipation for "Revolutions" simply because of the rapid-fire release timing.

"With the last one ('Reloaded') there was four years of pent-up demand and 'Revolutions' comes out after only six months," he said. "It's not quite the same event as the one that came out after a long drought."

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. head of U.S. distribution, dismissed the notion that some viewers may be less enthusiastic about the franchise after "Reloaded," which scored poorly with critics and many fans.

"These are staggering numbers," Fellman said. "If you talk to any large theater operator they're totally out of their minds with joy."

"Revolutions" also collected $18.8 million internationally after staging the widest simultaneous release for a single film by opening in an unprecedented 18,000 screens around the world at the same hour (9 a.m. ET), according to Variety. Part of the studio's worldwide effort was to combat piracy.

"Revolutions" also ranked as the third best Wednesday debut for a movie, behind $28.5 million for 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" and $26.1 million for last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

Although hampered by critics who lambasted "Revolutions" as a glorified videogame, the Keanu Reeves sci-fi adventure could still come close to topping $100 million domestically by the end of the weekend.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co., said he would wait until the weekend to judge how "Revolutions" compares to "Reloaded."

The critically acclaimed first film, "The Matrix," earned $33.7 million in its first weekend in April 1999 and went on to rake in $171.5 million.

"Reloaded" earned a total of $281.6 million and became the year's third highest-grossing movie of the year, behind "Finding Nemo" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," respectively.

The Matrix Official Site has a load of new content now that the movie is out.

Now that I don't have to worry about spoilers, I'm going to take a bit and check out the various matrix boards and see what people are saying and also try and catch up on some articles.

Well, there was no official Matrix swag to be had at the screening I went to, but I did score 2 CDs (Train, 3Doors Down) and a leather CD wallet for outing myself as the Über queen geek of Matrix Trivia in Las Vegas.

"What is the name of the compan...."
"Metacortex! Hah! In your face!"
*does victory dance down the aisle*

OK, so I really just raised my hand. And the victory was a little hollow because I was apparently the only one in the theater that knew it.

Well, that knew it and wanted some crappy radio promo.

Anyhoo....Second viewing was as good or better as this morning. I think I'm going to actually have to take notes next time.

I do have a couple pressing questions that I'll ask before I head to bed...

blah blah spoilers yadda don't click pfffft!

• What's the deal with the candy? is it important or not?
• What the FUCK up with the sentinal passing through Neo when they are following the power lines?
• Did the elevator button at Mero's say "Hell"?
• Wasn't there supposed to be a big helicopter sequence in one of these movies (2&3)?

I could be wrong about that last one, maybe they used the helicopter for filming but it wasn't actually a helicopter scene (like you actually see it).

I hope I can get to sleep. I had two mochas before the show tonight.

Don't click if you haven't seen Revolutions yet.
This goes for the comments link as well, as it will show the whole entry.

I mean it.

OK, of course the whole thing needs to be watched again. Here's a few things I can remember wanting to comment on:

• While sitting in the theater, when the green-tinged Warner Lot/Village Roadshow logo came up, I panicked. For a moment I wanted to flee, because this was it, the story would be over and I wasn't sure if I wanted that.
• I was glad that they got right into it, picked up right where Reloaded left off.
• "MOBIL" = LIMBO. Got it.
• Liked the upside-downedness of the bondage lobby fight, I also liked the "deja-vu" feeling re: the original lobby gunfight. There were a few times in the movie they did this, calling back to the first film. Nice.
• "Merv"...Bwahahahaha! I "heart" Trinity.
• The battle at the dock was breathtaking. Like I said in the audblog, bless the twisted mind of Geoff Darrow. Fucking Amazing, I can't wait to see it in IMAX.
• Liked the way they explained The Oracle's "new look", Gloria Foster left a big cookie sheet to fill and Mary Alice was perfect.
• At this moment, my favorite part was when Trinity saw the sun and the blue sky.
• Sigh, Trinity.
• Neo, heartbroken. Unable to shed tears. Fuck ALL Y'ALL who say he can't act. I lost it. Note to Self: Bring tissues next time.
• Hugo was fucking MARVELOUS.
• The rain fight was also incredible, loved the various sybolic effects withing the lightening.
• Much more....

Really, so much more. But that's all I can wrap my mind around right now.

I can't wait to see it again tonight.

audio post powered by audblog

Hooray!
I'm going to the "official" Revolutions opening screening here in Vegas tomorrow night, thanks to Dave.

I'm still going to the first showing at 6am, too.

The Matrix Revolutions' Soundtrack Set For November 4th Release on Maverick Records

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/
-- On November 4th, 2003, Maverick Records will proudly release the soundtrack to "The Matrix Revolutions," the final chapter in the epic "Matrix" trilogy, on the eve of the film's unprecedented global release.
Music From The Motion Picture The Matrix Revolutions will feature over an hour of original music by composer Don Davis, who also scored the two previous installments, "The Matrix" and "The Matrix Reloaded." Included is the song "In My Head," performed by Pale 3, and collaborations with Davis and the group Juno Reactor, including a nine-minute remix of the track "Super Burly Brawl." The album also features an orchestral score composed by Davis. Selections include "The Trainman Cometh," "Saw Bitch Workhorse," "Neodammerung" and over a dozen others.
In "The Matrix Revolutions," the rebels' long quest for freedom culminates in a final explosive battle. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense -- but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?
Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, "The Matrix Revolutions" will be released worldwide on November 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

These are pictures from tonight's Revolutions Premiere that I found over at Yahoo. There are also some of the whole cast, etc. And I'm sure there will be more tomorrow.

He looks dashing as always.....sigh.

Apparently there is a BIG FAT HAIRY POSSIBLE SPOILER right in the title or something of a new Carrie-Anne article or interview. I've been lucky enough to avoid it, thanks to Tyler and others. If you've been spoiled by just seeing the title without benefit of spoiler warning, I would suggest that you write the site owner nicely alerting them to this and asking that they alter something so others can avoid it. I'm sure it's unintentional, or perhaps a red-herring.

In any case I'm going to be a cyber recluse for the next week, avoiding all other sites, boards and news alerts until I hear an "all-clear" or something.
So things might get a little weird, or stupid....or boring.

I'm so sorry for anyone that was accidentaly spoiled.

Short non-spoilery Keanu interview at ComingSoon.net...

Keanu will be saying goodbye to "The Matrix" and Neo soon, something that he's been around for years now. "The three films, in working on them, have been some of the best days of my life as a person and as an artist. So I'm very grateful to be a part of them, just grateful."

Read the whole thing here.

Fandango Announces Tickets on Sale for `The Matrix Revolutions' Two Weeks before November 5 Screen Date

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2003--
Final 'Matrix' Expected to be Top Seller as 'Reloaded' Broke Fandango Sales Records

In May, "Matrix Reloaded" became Fandango's best-selling picture in company history, breaking multiple Fandango sales records. Anticipating a repeat performance in advance ticketing for the final installation in the sci-fi thriller trilogy, the nation's largest online and phone movie ticketer is giving moviegoers a two-week jump before the November 5 debut to buy tickets at www.fandango.com. Tickets will also be available by phone three days in advance by calling Fandango's toll-free number, 1-800-FANDANGO.

"The 'Matrix' franchise has the fan base and momentum to drive huge advance ticket sales for 'Revolutions,'" said Art Levitt, president and CEO of Fandango, Inc. "Moviegoers have a vested interest in the story and we expect them to again turn to Fandango to ensure they have tickets in advance to the trilogy's conclusion. We look forward to kicking off the holiday moviegoing season with this great franchise."

I haven't even thought about tickets yet. I haven't decided if I'm actually going to try and make it to a 6am showing here or not. I'll see it on the 5th, just not the first showing. I'm also holding out to see if our IMAX will have it on opening day, because really, that's the way to go.
Besides, I'm so not a morning person.

Speaking of tickets, the universe mocks me further by offering passes to the premiere on ebay. It's for charity, but there's no way I could afford it. I'm saving to go to Seattle for Thanksgiving.
And I really wouldn't want to buy my way in anyway.

"Warner Bros. retained control of the casting. For the pivotal role of Neo, the studio decided on Keanu Reeves. (Also seriously considered: Kevin Costner.) Reeves had done poorly with Johnny Mnemonic, but the studio was high on his demographic appeal. The brothers were skeptical. "They were like, 'Keanu Reeves? Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? Can he do what we need?'" one friend recalls. "Now they feel so grateful they have him." The Matrix went on to generate more than $440 million in worldwide ticket sales."

Wired has two Matrix articles - The Matrix Revelations: an interesting look at the enigmatic Wachowski Brothers, and Entertainment Beyond The Matrix, in which Xeni Jardin talks to John Gaeta about virtual life, the Matrix universe and everything.

WN: How much will the new film feel like Reloaded?

Gaeta: Not much. The Matrix is a three-act play: What began underground concludes in Revolutions on the Earth's surface, in Revelations-like fashion. In the first film, we learned that people are trapped in a prison devised by machines. In Reloaded, we learn about the power architecture in that world, and discover what (Keanu Reeves' character) Neo must do to become a savior, a messiah -- to interrupt the mental slavery of that world's inhabitants. But along the way, we learn that it's not just up to Neo -- freedom is a personal choice each of them has to make.

J. sent me this article on the lack of advertising/product tie-ins for Revolutions.
I'm actually glad. The powerade was yummy, but all the crap for Reloaded was a bit much. And Samsung? It wasn't bad timing...Two Words. Ugly. Phone.

I'm avoiding bunches of other articles along with the new TV spots that are up at the Official Site.
There may or may not be spoilers lurking around every bend.

Why chance it?

I figure I've got only two more weeks to wait, I can make it.

Oh, and Six Days 'til the LA premiere, and I've officially scribbled Joel's name out of my notebook in case you're wondering.

(That's OK, I didn't wanna go to some high falutin' gotta-buy-new-shoes and wear cleavage enhancements and sunglasses at night Hollywood shindig anyhow. I'll just hang wit' my peeps on da 5th, wit' a fifth, yo.

I'm krixy from the block, dawg.)

I got my Reloaded DVD last night.
Fully enjoyed the extras, will probably watch them again tonight.
I watched the movie with the subtitles on, that's really helpful in certain parts.
I also left the disc on repeat while I slept, because I'm a lunatic and hoped that some of that Matrixy goodness would seep into my dreams.
I think it did, but I really don't remember.

In Revolutions news, ComingSoon reports the running time of 128 minutes -which is shorter than the other two films, but still over two hours so I don't want to hear any bitching.

I just got a google alert (very handy service for a blogger-on-the-go like myself) that Coming Soon has a new Revolutions gallery with what I assume might be some new images.

I'm not looking, but go check it out if you'd like.

---also, check the official site for new stills as well (also spoilery perhaps)

I resisted the urge to buy my Reloaded DVD at the 7-11 just now.
I don't have a DVD player at work anyway.

So...who has theirs?
Have you watched it a half dozen times yet?
How are the extras?

Taunt me.

Big Love to Jena for typing out this article from a December 2003 issue of Sci Fi mag, on stands now...
(Oh, and it's pretty safe, spoilerwise)

As Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan observes, "While the first Matrix was enhanced by the classic drama of the making of the hero Neo from humble clay, and the third one will presumably have the drive of a powerful can-humanity-be-saved conclusion, middles are almost by definition less compelling and trickier to make involving."
Of course, the film's makers have no doubt that they've got a winner on their hands. "The third act, which is Revolutions, is monumental," says producer Joel Silver. "It's huge. It's bigger than it could ever possibly be. It ends the way it ends."
Adds Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus): "The Wachowskis describe the themes of the trilogy in this way. The first movie is about birth. The second movie is about life. And the third movie's about death. So anything's possible."
One thing's certain. A lot of stuff will blow up. Silver's already gone on record touting Revolutions' main set piece, a 14-minute, $40 million battle scene between humans and machines. "That 14-minute sequence...is the most complicated sequence ever put on film, ever," he says. "And that won't start until the end of the show, and that's the last thing they're going to do. So [the Wachowski brothers] know what they're going to do, but they gotta get through it."
Building up to that, audiences will make the acquantance of a new Oracle, played by veteran actress Mary Alice, stepping in for Gloria Foster , who died unexpectedly after completing her part in Reloaded. Seraph, the white-clad rogue program played by Collin Chou, has a bigger role. And the emotional vampire Persephone (Monica Belluci) has an important message for Neo as he seeks to escape the Matrix and save Zion.
Ultimately, fans will find out the answers to questions left unresolved at the end of Reloaded:
- What's the deal with Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who appeared to download himself into the body of a Zion dweller?
- What's the deal with Neo's being able to stop those machine sentinels in the Real World?
- Does Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith) get busy with Morpheus?
- What the heck does the Architect (Helmut Bakaitis) mean when he says, "Hope - it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?"
- Does anyone in Zion ever wash a shirt?
"How is it that one navigates the Matrix to figure out how to stop a real event in the Real World?" asks visual effects supervisor John Gaeta. "The story inevitably has to spill outside of the Matrix. There has to be a physical ending."
Gaeta adds, "In Revolutions, we spill quite chaotically out into the Real World, which is a completely epic type of event unto itself, where you now are faced with the real underlying problem of the competition of the two last species on Earth; man or machine. That whole film is really...an order of magnitude beyond any of the creature films that I've ever seen or worked on."
In the next film, much of the action takes place in the environmentally ravaged Real World, where the Machine Army was previously seen boring into the earth and closing in on the last human city of Zion. Zion's defenders, in their amored hovercraft, failed in a desperate attempt to engage the army before it reached the outer perimeter of the city, and Morpheus' craft, the Nebuchadnezzar, was destroyed. After saving Trinity in the Matrix, Neo emerged, but lapsed into a coma after mysteriosly disabling a pack of attacking machines. Morpheus and Trinity will find themselves aboard a new hovercraft, the Hammer.
In Revolutions, the story will expand beyond the underground settlement of Zion and delve deeper into the tunnels and sewers of old Earth, Gaeta said. "There's a lot of events that are taking place now between the surface and Zion - a lot of activity," he says. "A lot of different ships. And you start branching off. ...and then, of course, we go on to the surface of Earth, and we see a lot more about what that's all about, and that's pretty...shocking, horrific, fascinating."
Ultimately, Revolutions will take us to the home of the machines, the Machine City called "01" that was foreshadowed in the Animatrix short film "Second Renaissance." "Well, of course," Gaeta says. "They have to live somewhere, right?"
Indeed, Reeves says that he filmed his last scene in the movie on that set last year. "It was a scene that takes place in Revolutions, and it's a scene with Neo, and it's a scene in the Machine City. I guess there were about 250 to 300 people who came into the soundstage. It was a close-up, and it was [laughs] a lot of takes, and it was a very unique feeling to come to the completion of Reloaded, Fishburne's character discovers that everything he's believed for two movies may not be true. "Well,yeah," he says. "Surely there's another shift for him in the third movie that involves being even more vulnerable, I think." He adds: "There's fighting. I get to do some pretty cool stuff. I have a gunfight."
But with all the Real World battles, audiences will still enter the Matrix itself before everything works out. "Obviously they're intertwined, you know, as one threads to the other and threads back to the first one," Gaeta says.
And expect more of the landmark visual effects that have characterized the previous two Matrix films. "There's a lot of computer graphics in Revolutions," Gaeta says. "I mean, there's a lot of all-CG shots. ...Revolutions is just sort of the crescendo of the whole mission that Neo is on. ...I said The Matrix tends to be super-electronica unique, and then Revolutions is far more fantastic. Even though it's the Real World, it's like ...much more fantiastic and grand."
But will there be more philosophy? Interspersed among Reloaded's truck crashes and burly brawls were tongue-twisting, and times exasperating declamations about the nature of reality by the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), the Architect and the Oracle. "You didn't come here to make a choice," Foster's Oracle told Neo cryptically. "You've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it."
Huh?
"I don't understand it in the sense that I can take you all the way to the end to a finite position and [say], 'Here's your answer, there's one person who knows the whole thing," Reeves admits. "Maybe Larry and Andrew do. I know they certainly feel they do. But I don't think there are things that have an end in these pieces. The analogy I use is that it is like a Moebius strip. There are more launch points. There are more things that I feel if you do take something from it, if you want to talk about cause and effect and it's relationship to fate, the aspects of those kinds of things, it's fun and intriguing and something that I think is beneficial to think about."
Fishburne has a more pragmatic approach. "I don't think very much about [the philosophy]," he says. "I'm not a philospher. I don't pretend to be a philosopher."
Cue the explosions.

-Excerpt from NY Daily News:

The curtain's going up on Imax. It won't just be science fiction geeks watching closely on Nov. 5, when "The Matrix Revolutions," debuts on Imax big screens across the country.

The "Matrix" release marks the first time a big live action Hollywood flick has ever opened on the same day at both conventional and Imax theaters - and Imax wants Hollywood and theater operators to notice.

"It's a watershed moment," said Leland Westerfield, media analyst at Jefferies & Co. "It's the first time we'll see whether audiences prefer the big screen 70 mm experience over 35 mm."

Imax has gone Hollywood in a bid to ramp up its network of Imax theaters around the world.

By releasing "Matrix Revolutions" the same day as it debuts on conventional screens, Imax will get the full impact of a mega marketing blitz funded by "Matrix" studio, Warner Bros.

"Warner Bros. is already creating a lot of buzz," said Marla Backer, an analyst at Research Associates.

Oh wow, I just realized that I could be going to opening day at an IMAX.
I wonder if my heart can take it?

Metacortex?
Metadex?
Aquapolis?

via Metafilter

I'm still all zonked out on dextrmop...er..dexmoptro....Thera-Flu so here's your assignment:

Snoop around the sites above, they have something to do with the world of The Matrix. Check the Metafilter thread linked above for more links to help you figure out what it all means. Let me know what you find in the comments.

To give you a hand, here's a handy-dandy binary decoder.

If you have a nice broadband connection, you may want to check out the film short over at fanimatrix.net.

"The Fanimatrix" is a fan-made, zero-budget short film set within the Matrix universe, specifically shortly before the discovery of "The One" (i.e. the first "Matrix" feature film). It tells the story of two rebels - Dante and Medusa - and of their fateful mission onto the virtual reality prison world that is The Matrix.

WARNER BROS.
BURBANK, SEPTEMBER 29, 2003

WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND VILLAGE ROADSHOW PICTURES
TO MAKE CINEMA HISTORY
WITH GLOBAL UNVEILING OF THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS ON NOVEMBER 5,
MAKING THE FILM AVAILABLE TO FANS AROUND THE WORLD
AT THE SAME MOMENT IN TIME

Through IMAX Digital Re-Mastering Technology, Highly Anticipated Film Will Also
Debut in IMAX® Theatres in the U.S. on November 5, Marking the First Time a
Major Live Action Movie is Released Concurrently in 35MM and IMAX’s Format

Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures will unveil THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, the final explosive chapter in the blockbuster MATRIX trilogy, at the exact same moment in time in every major city around the world on November 5. This unprecedented distribution scenario will make the highly anticipated film available to fans simultaneously at 6 a.m. in Los Angeles, 9 a.m. in New York, 2 p.m. in London, 5 p.m. in Moscow, 11 p.m. in Tokyo and at corresponding times in over 50 additional countries worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

"Given the enormous popularity and success of the Matrix films throughout the international community, we’re thrilled that we can bring the final chapter of this amazing trilogy to fans simultaneously around the world," Kwan-Rubinek said. "We thank our exhibitors for their unqualified support in staging this extraordinary event."

"The zero hour simultaneous opening of REVOLUTIONS once again positions the Matrix films as the cutting edge experience in motion pictures," Fellman added. "Audiences came out to see THE MATRIX RELOADED in record numbers, and we appreciate the enthusiasm, collaboration and support of our exhibitors in helping us bring THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS to audiences on November 5."

"We received such an overwhelming response to RELOADED from audiences around the globe that the Wachowski Brothers wanted to give our fans the chance to experience the final piece of the Matrix puzzle at the same time in every major city worldwide," said Joel Silver, producer of the phenomenal Matrix trilogy. "It's an incredibly complex and exciting venture that furthers the Wachowskis' vision and underscores the trilogy’s theme of integration."

To date, THE MATRIX RELOADED has earned over $734 million in worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2003 and the highest-grossing R-rated film in history, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, RELOADED scored the record for the largest single week ever with $158.2 million and reached $150 million in a record-breaking six days domestically; internationally, it is the 10th highest grossing film of all-time, and is the first film in history to gross more than $100 million in a single weekend.

FANS TO EXPERIENCE THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS,
DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST SCREENS,
AT IMAX THEATRES DAY & DATE WITH FILM’S 35MM RELEASE

In conjunction with the REVOLUTIONS worldwide distribution event, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience will debut at IMAX Theatres in the United States on November 5. This marks the first time a major Hollywood live-action event film is released concurrently in 35mm and IMAX’s revolutionary 15/70 format.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures previously collaborated with IMAX on the hugely successful release of THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, which debuted on 39 IMAX screens on June 6, launching three weeks after the 35mm theatrical release of THE MATRIX RELOADED on May 15. THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience later expanded to 54 IMAX screens throughout North America and 12 screens internationally, grossing $12.4 million worldwide to date.

"Following the unprecedented audience response and box office performance of THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, we couldn’t be happier to offer fans the chance to see THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience on the same day as we open REVOLUTIONS in 35mm," Dan Fellman said.

Like THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through revolutionary and proprietary IMAX® DMR™ (Digital Re-mastering) technology. IMAX Theatres offer unequalled clarity and intensity of image as audiences experience one of the biggest films of the year on screens up to eight stories tall and 120 feet wide, and surrounded by 12,000 watts of pure digital sound.

In THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, the final chapter in the MATRIX trilogy, the rebels' long quest for freedom culminates in an explosive battle. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense – but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?

Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Jada Pinkett Smith.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS will be released worldwide on November 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

For the rest of you...

The newest full length trailer is now up at The Matrix Official Site and also some new still photos.

Club-K has some shots from the trailer in their gallery

The club also reports that there will be a Matrix Revolutions:First Look on HBO.

Dark Horizons and FilmForce also have some coverage.

And of course, if you just can't get enough of that sweet matrixy goodness, there's the various fan sites and forums:

Last Free City
Matrix Fans
Matrix Community

and blogs:

Matrix Essays
Hack the Matrix

...where you can speculate to your heart's content.

39 more days!

Check your listings and tune in to your local syndicated airings of ET and Access Hollywood (thanks geebie) for all kinds of Matrixy goodness tonight.

I'm going to skip it, because even if it isn't spoilery, Bob Goen creeps me out.

According to this article, Disney Hall - where the Revolutions premiere will be held - seats 1800.

*cough*

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED PEOPLE are going to this premiere and NOT ONE OF THEM is me.

Oh, come ON!

OK first off, if you know or even suspect something - I DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

I think I already know more than I want to, but I've decided that I am going to trust the content that comes from The Matrix.com not to spoil me and so I went ahead and downloaded the new trailers.

I've only watched the "Help" one so far though. I'm trying to prolong the blissful ignorance as long as I can.

I'm still not going to any forums, and am trying to avoid most articles as well.
It's going to get even harder as the days go by, I'm sure.

----
update:
The comments have convinced me to stay strong and avoid the trailers, even.

The hype for Revolutions seems to be starting this week.

Entertainment Tonight will be featuring behind-the-scenes stuff along with hopefully some interviews all this week, so you may want to set your VCRs.

Keep your eyes on the Official Site as well.

During tonight's Survivor there was a Matrix Revolutions spot!

eeeeeeeee!

Why is Neo in a blindfold so sexy to me?

(this season of Survivor is going to rock, btw. Go Drake!)

Hollywood hacks impress experts
SECURITY TECHNOLOGY BECOMES MORE REALISTIC IN FILM
By Tamara Chuang

IRVINE - In the sequel to the movie ``The Matrix,'' the svelte heroine's return to the futuristic world had a group of security consultants from Irvine's Rainbow Technologies ogling the raven-haired computer whiz.

But not just because Trinity looked hot in skin-tight black leather.

Trinity, played by actor Carrie-Anne Moss, uses genuine hacking tools to help Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, rescue humankind -- she uses ``Nmap'' software to scan the computer ports, finds the electrical control system's Internet protocol address and, voila, zaps the power.

``We were actually impressed,'' said Bernie Cowens, Rainbow's vice president of security services, who took his staff of ``fairly jaded'' technologists to a matinee on opening day.

``They are pretty hard to please when it comes to realism in the movies,'' he said. ``They all commented favorably.''

In the past, Hollywood's depiction of computer breaches left most security experts groaning in disbelief. Cracking a password in 60 seconds?

Impossible, they say. Computer screens covered with animated images of spreading viruses? Never happens. Zooming in on video recorded by a generic security camera? Ha!

But now, although Hollywood continues to exaggerate technology to make movies more exciting, hacking in films is becoming more realistic, computer experts say.

For example, this summer's ``The Italian Job'' showed a credible situation of how hackers might get into the Los Angeles transportation computer system to create the city's largest traffic jam.

And, while movie critics have panned ``The Matrix Reloaded,'' many computer-security professionals loved it and are eagerly awaiting the November release of the next movie in the Matrix trilogy, ``The Matrix Revolutions.''

``There's a new generation of filmmakers growing up with technology,'' Cowens said. ``They're acknowledging that the public is more (computer) savvy. It makes it more believable.''

At home, many people have learned not to open e-mail attachments from people they don't know. They know that, if they ignore that warning, the computer could stop working or slow down because a computer virus is sending itself to everyone in their address book.

They know that colorful images of viruses eating files don't really appear on the computer screen, as in the 1995 movie ``Hackers.'' They know, and were reminded by the Blaster worm attack on Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems, that breaking into a computer isn't as tricky as somersaulting across a pressure-sensitive floor to install a snooping device, as in ``Charlie's Angels 2000.''

``What seemed like science-fiction 10 years ago, people now know it exists,'' said Steve Gibson, head of the security consultants Gibson Research in Laguna Hills. ``Hollywood can now have someone lament about a computer having a virus. . . . You don't have to explain it anymore.''

Close to the hearts of many a security expert is ``WarGames,'' from 1983. ``That was one of the turning points (in hacker movies),'' said Riley Hassell, a security researcher with eEye Digital Security, an Aliso Viejo security-software company.

In that movie, Matthew Broderick, who plays a teenage hacker trying to access unreleased computer games, skips school for a week to research the life of a man who designed the ultimate computer game. His goal is to discover a secret password that will get him through the ``backdoor,'' a shortcut that programmers often add to software code so they can bypass security.

``That was pretty realistic,'' said Barnaby Jack, also a security researcher at eEye. `` `WarGames' was what got a lot of people into the hacking scene.''

Another highly rated movie among security-industry professionals was ``Sneakers,'' which was written by the same folks who wrote ``WarGames.'' The movie revolves around a ragtag team of hackers who were once on the other side of the law but are now in business to help companies find flaws in their security.

``That's what I wanted to do,'' Hassell said.

And that's what he does.

Hollywood enjoys the drama of hackers guessing passwords quickly and at the very last second, as in the 2001 movie ``Swordfish,'' which is about a hacker who double-crosses a crime lord by adding super-strong encryption to a bank's computer system. Of course, he's forced to break back in -- in less than 60 seconds.

`` `Swordfish' is a horrible, horrible example,'' said Chris Prosise, vice president of professional services with security firm Foundstone in Mission Viejo. ``The guy supposedly cracked the algorithm within a few seconds. But that's impossible.''

In reality, cracking passwords takes at least a few minutes, and much more if the word isn't in the dictionary, said Steve ``Rex'' Frank, chief technology officer of Alvaka Networks in Huntington Beach.

``If there's a dollar sign or something else, it could take a hundred hours,'' said Frank, a professional ``white hat'' hacker, which means he uses his computer skills for good.

Hacking a password is usually slow and methodical, he said.

``The password-cracking programs I use -- it literally will try A, A1, A2. Eventually, it will get any password.''

Sometimes Hollywood's knack for exaggeration misleads the movie-going public, Gibson said.

``I actually had one of my field agent contacts tell me that FBI management is upset because they can't track down hackers like they do in the movies,'' Gibson said.

Perhaps the biggest flaw in Hollywood's depiction of hackers is the portrayal of their lifestyle.

In ``Hackers,'' for example, the troupe of teenage computer geeks -- which included sexy Angelina Jolie -- go clubbing at night, in-line skate and throw parties attended by crowds of hipsters.

Hassell says he can attest that the hackers he knows aren't the most sociable or fashionable creatures.

``None of them are attractive people,'' Hassell said. ``These guys are big `Star Trek' fans. They eat chips and drink beer.''

Gibson tries not to think about inaccuracies in movies. He goes to be entertained.

``There is definitely a trade-off between accuracy and entertainment,'' he said. ``This isn't a computer seminar.''

This little article at Premiere has something in it I DID NOT WANT TO KNOW!

Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.

BOLOGNA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003--Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE:DMH)(Borsa Italiana S.p.A:DMH), a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, today announced that it is teaming up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a limited edition Ducati 998 and Ducati Monster 620i.e., each inspired by "The Matrix Reloaded." The motorcycles will be on display at the Ducati stand at the Milano trade show, EICMA (September 16-21), and available for model year 2004 at Ducati Stores and other Ducati dealerships around the world.
Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' action blockbuster "The Matrix Reloaded" is the second chapter in the Wachowski Brothers' revolutionary film trilogy. The worldwide blockbuster features a dramatic road chase on a Ducati Superbike.

The Ducati Superbike is celebrated for its design in countless museums and for its performance on racetracks all over the world. In its various versions, The Ducati Superbike has won more Superbike Championship races than the competition combined. The Ducati Monster has become a cult bike that invented a whole class of motorcycle: the sport naked bike. The Ducati Monster Matrix 620 tweaks the category with a spectacular "Matrix" livery, special paint and graphics. It is instantly the most desirable urban street fighter around.

"Ducati is thrilled to be a part of this hugely exciting film franchise," said David Gross, Ducati Creative Director. "The Matrix Superbike and the Monster Matrix 620 capture all of the thrill of high performance sport motorcycling and the spirit of `The Matrix.' Sport bikes and blockbuster movies just don't get any bigger than this."

"We were pleased to use Ducati Superbikes in creating the unprecedented Freeway Chase sequence in `The Matrix Reloaded', and we're even more excited that two Ducati motorcycles inspired by the film will now be available to our fans," said Joel Silver, producer of the "Matrix" trilogy. "Like the visionary action and visceral storytelling that power the Wachowski Brothers' trilogy, Ducati motorcycles represent innovation, singular style and cutting-edge performance."

This fall, Ducati will celebrate the launch of the Ducati Matrix motorcycles and "The Matrix Reloaded" DVD with a series of global events. In the Netherlands, the retailer Bijenkorf, the leading specialty retailer in Holland, will display the Ducati Matrix 998 at their flagship location in Amsterdam at DAM Square, across from the Palace. Ducati France will launch "The Matrix" night during the week of the Paris Motor Show from the 25th of September to the 5th of October. 400,000 visitors are expected.

October 14 marks the highly anticipated DVD release of the record-shattering blockbuster "The Matrix Reloaded," which has earned over $770 million in worldwide box office to date. Warner Home Video's October 14 street date makes "The Matrix Reloaded" available to fans three weeks before the theatrical release of the final explosive chapter in the phenomenal "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions," on November 5.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in four market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. The Company's motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at www.ducati.com.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, as described in documents previously filed by the Company with CONSOB and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Matrix," characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of and (C) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

I was tempted, but for fear of spoilage, I won't be checking out the 6 new Revolutions spots (in MPEG format) or the pictures over at the french Code-Matrix.net site.

However, you might want to.

Well, that solves that. They have been taken down (thx for the tip, Jen).
I can't read french but it looks like maybe WB had them take them down?

Anyway, there are still some screen captures (which I only briefly peeped at).

From delusion lead me to truth
From darkness lead me to light
From death lead me to immortality.

He who knows both knowledge and action,
with action overcomes death
and with knowledge reaches immortality.

In him are woven the sky and the earth
and all the regions of the air,
and in him rest the mind
and all the powers of life.
Know him as the ONE
and leave aside all other words.
He is the bridge of immortality.

Beyond the senses is the mind,
and beyond the mind is reason, its essence.
Beyond reason is the Spirit in man,
and beyond this is the Spirit of the Universe,
the evolver of all.

When the five senses and the mind are still,
and reason itself rests in silence,
then begins the Path supreme.

And when he is seen in his immanence and transcendence,
then the ties that have bound the heart are unloosenend,
the doubts of the mind vanish,
and the law of Karma works no more.

Don Davis has put up this translation of the choral part of Neodämmerung that I was so squishy over.

It's beautiful, and while not technically a spoiler, says a lot about the third part of Neo's journey to me.

You can go read it side by side with the original Sanskrit at Don Davis' site.
Thanks Tyler.

"This is the right building for 'The Matrix Revolutions [Premiere],' " Silver told Variety. "Frank Gehry has a very cinematic style of architecture. People will be blown away by the space and by the picture. When the lights go down, you'll be in the world of the Matrix; when they come up, you'll be in the world of Frank Gehry, which is some futuristic place that is not now."

The Matrix Revolutions will premiere on October 27.

Read the whole article at ComingSoon.net.

KeanuWeb has a nice new pic of Neo and a link to a new Matrix article at the NYTimes website that is clearly marked *SPOILER*, so I'm not gonna click it.

Here are a bunch of codes (found posted over on Warner Brothers' Matrix forum) to get to the hidden content at the official Matrix site. I figured it would be nice to collect them all in one spot for future reference.

These first ones have been around a while and are used at the hackthematrix.com control panel.
Just click around and wait for the input screen to pop up.

agentbullettime - Agent Bullet-time Video
crash - Helocopter Crash Video
steak - Opens Various Links
dejavu - Original Sketches
trinity - Trinity Storyboard Video
morpheus - Sketches and Computer Generated Sets
guns - Poster
wrong number - Poster
darrow - Movie Art
skroce - Movie Art
geof - Sentiel Art
wrong number - Matrix Comix Season 3 Pinups
tokyo - Tokyo Appearance Video
keanu - Actor Introduction Video
carrie - Actor Introduction Video
laurence - Actor Introduction Video
reload - Old Site Preview
owen - Production Designer Video
chrysalis - Chrysalis Definition
page168 - Storyboard Drawing
page212 - Storyboard Drawing
page98 - Storyboard Drawing.
page78 - Color Storyboard Drawing
bill - 3D Matrix Vehicle Video
red - Lady In Red
redpill - Redpill Interactive Entertainment
classic - Classic "The Matrix" Website.
lobby - Lobby Video
mirrormirror - Mirror Mirror Video
neobullettime - Neo Bullet-time Video
sentinal - Sentinal Video
nebuchadnezzar - Neb Video
sentinellarge800x600 - 800x600 Sentinal Video

Now, to use these binary codes you need enter the hi-bandwidth/flash version of the site. Once the menu/control panel at the top loads, to the far right is a little riveted looking thing with a yellow "light" at the bottom, click that and when it slides out click the green light-up square. Another panel will come down (with a nifty sound effect) and you use that to enter the codes using the switches.

11101000 - Philosophy
11010100 - Animatrix Wallpaper
11101001 - Trinity Drawing
00011000 - Concept Illustrator Audio Clip
10110110 - Stunt Coordinator Audio Clip
10000001 - Classic Website
11011011 - Room VR
01101111 - Access Panel 2

That last one? Access Panel 2? That takes you to the place you put these next hexidecimal codes into. But you have to figure out the binary input to match the hex codes. It's actually fun so I'm not going to explain it to you any further. I trust you will figure it out. If not, there's a cheat chart right there, brainiac.

587E1A2C - Tunnel Recon Game
3A342CE3 - Revolutions Trailer
1DDF2556 - 3D ETM Environment
35d67173 - 3D ETM Environment
13D2C77F - 3D ETM Environment
B25F33A6 - 3D ETM Environment
D5C55D1E - 3D ETM Environment
BB013FFF - 3D ETM Environment
7867F443 - 3D ETM Environment
F446A392 - Desktop Viewer
38CA2FB1 - Desktop Viewer
69E5D9E4 - VR (Sewer, Chateau, Parkade)
CC883300 - Sample Code
098CA701 - Doorway Wallpaper
EC306071 - VR (Kitchen)
F03350B1 - Art Department
0081CF5E - Visual Effects
D487A317 - Detective Story Preview
98765432 - Ultra-Sized Trailer Preview
A3B1A428 - 2nd Renaissance Preview
D53D49F9 - Unloco Video Clip
A8C3F9AD - Deftones Video Clip
43E17AC9 - Making of Pics
C1B49F13 - "Sleeping Awake" Lyrics
8D966F2A - P.O.D. Interview
64CF29E3 - "Sleeping Awake" Making of part I
19A642BF - "Sleeping Awake" Making of part II
25DB928F - (bf) Contest
A3B1A428 - Virtual Assembly Neb
8E217AC9 - Soundtrack Lyrics
7F4DF451 - Soundtrack Lyrics
23631BE6 - VR (Grate hall, Keys)
FFF0020A - VR (Ghosts Room, Bathroom, Chateau Dungeon)
4516DF45 - VR (Chateau Office, Hallway, Parkade)
FFFFFFF1 - VR (Parkade, Keys, Grate Hall)
FF00001A - VR (Neb)
0034AFFF - VR (China Town)

I doubt this list is complete, but there's certainly a lot to keep busy with. I wish I had a faster computer, I bet the VR stuff is very cool.

OH! And speaking of Matrix stuff, I finally scored a long-sleeved promo shirt that I have been coveting for months, so yay.

-via KeanuWeb, ComingSoon.net reports that Matrix composer Don Davis has a clip from the upcoming Matrix Revolutions score on his audio page.
The orchestral track is called Neodämmerung (good god, if I were keeping a list of words that qualified as foreplay, that would be in the top ten, and I don't even know what it means).
It has a choral element that makes me all goosepimpley. Go give a listen.

While I didn't have time to listen to anything else this morning (my work machine has no sound card), I certainly enjoyed looking at the titles of some of the tracks from Mr. Davis' other works, particularly the Wachowskis' Bound.
Hee.

I just heard Rob Dougan's Chateau from the Reloaded soundtrack on a PBS promo for National Geographic. It's always weird to have things so familiar show up out of context. I still want to kill whoever greenlighted my beloved Spybreak for a local car dealership commercial.

And speaking of car commercials, has anyone else had their local Toyota dealer acting out Reloaded scenes to hawk the Matrix automobile?
Vegas does, and it SO SUCKS. Oh my god, it's just wrong.

Oh look, new wallpaper.

I'm craving a Powerade.

There's a new flash Matrix game over at the official site, go check it out.

Thank you to Spencer for the heads up.

I've been slack this past week on red pill newsbits so let's play catch up...

OK, 75 days until The Matrix Revolutions. Eeeeee!

I downloaded the newest trailer from the official site last night along with some new Revolutions stills and I'm starting to get all excited again. I should probably do a wallpaper.

It's been reported that Warner is reportedly considering withholding Reloaded from Oscar consideration so that Academy voters can focus on Revolutions.
This seems like a smart move-not splitting the vote (hear that Californians?), and indicates that Revolutions will be the better of the two movies. NOT that I didn't like Reloaded, because you know I did. It was a middle movie and all the whiners can bite me. The only thing I would bitch about is the choice of music during the Burly Brawl, because damn, that sucked.

Anyway, Revolutions shall kick ass. Here's a little blurb at Coming Soon that may be the beginning of the hype. Yeah, Joel...I'm looking at you (call me).

You know, I fully admit at this point, I have no idea what the Matrix is, or what's going to happen in the final movie. So many theories. Not enough brain.

Once again, I find myself caught between craving information and caving into spoilers. Of course there is enough non-spoiler speculation to keep one's mind busy for years to come at various sites, my favorite being Matrix Essays.

One other note. Eric Furze, the author of the brilliant piece I posted a while back, contacted me to let me know that it was actually a rough draft and that the final complete version of The Matrix: Reloaded - Jesus, Buddha, and Gödel: Unraveling the Matrix Mythos can be found here, at metaphilm.com.

He's tall and lithe and very sexy. I knew I wanted a new figure from Reloaded, but couldn't really decide. When I saw the finished version of this one I fell in love with it, even though I snarked on the prototype in this entry.
Reloaded Neo was sculpted by Shunji Hagii, and has no movable parts. He was procured from victorshop.com. You can check his auctions (there was another available at the time of posting).

I LUFF new Reloaded Neo.

however...

The boys aren't taking it like The One, at all.

Dojo is beside himself and sighs loudly between sobs.
Lobby is simply PISSED and offers little or no consolation.

I tried to call Lobby out on the fact that "This is Bullshit!" is actually a Reloaded line, but he just gave me the finger and stomped back to the stereo, put on some TOOL and ignored me for the rest of the evening.

Hopefully at some point they will learn to live together in harmony.

Joel-y, baby - don't get crazy
Premiere. Passes... I'd be ecstatic
I know you've heard it all before -
so I don't say it anymore
I just stand by and watch them
pitch you Matrix 4.
Although I used to wonder why -
I used to cry till I was dry.
Still sometimes I get a strange pain inside
Oh, Joel-y, if you're hurting so am I.

Joel-y, sunshine - I got a website
All is forgiven. Listen, listen
And if I seem to be confused
I didn't mean to be with you.
And when you said I scared you,
well I guess you scared me too.
And though you dissed me once before
But if you're out there willing
to get me in the door.
Oh Joel-y, I'm not angry anymore.

96 days to unbreak my heart, Joel....

...until The Matrix Revolutions.

Thanks to EVE for taunting me with the fact that she is going to Comic-Con and telling me about THIS at the Con:

5:30–7:00 The Matrix.com: Comics on the Web— The online Matrix comics include work by Larry and Andy Wachowski, Geof Darrow, Bill Sienkiewicz, Neil Gaiman, Ted McKeever, John Van Fleet, Troy Nixey, Peter Bagge, Dave Gibbons, David Lapham, Greg Ruth and Paul Chadwick among others. Learn the future of the Matrix comics, how soon the trade collection will be available, and perhaps get a free Matrix comic. Paul Chadwick (Concrete), John Van Fleet (Batman: The Chalice), and Bill Sienkiewicz (Stray Toasters ) and others join Spencer Lamm (who heads the team behind TheMatrix.com, as well as edits the comics). Room 6B

I think I'd like to go just to give webmaster Spencer Lamm a big kiss on the mouth for the wonderfulness that is whatisthematrix.com.

One other thing, Mikey2 has permission to call me "Krixy", because it makes me swoon (especially if I imagine it in the Stich voice), all the rest of you are guilty of unauthorized pet-naming, and you'll be hearing from my people as soon as I get some.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In an industry first, Warner Home Video is releasing "The Matrix Reloaded" on home video three weeks before the theatrical release of the third film in the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions."

"Reloaded," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, is slated for release Oct. 14 on DVD and VHS at a retail price of about $22, Warners executives said.

Such franchise films are typically widely separated from each theatrical release under the theory that a home video release of the same series will deplete ticket sales at the box office. But Warner executives believe that this new strategy will work to pump up what has been a lagging industrywide box office take.

Under the slogan "Reload Before the Revolution," Warners is combining the consumer awareness surrounding the Nov. 5 theatrical release of "Revolutions" with the home video release of "Reloaded" as a way of consolidating their marketing dollars as much as hoping to discover a new marketing mechanism.

"I don't believe it will affect ticket sales in any negative way," said Ron Sanders, Warner Home Video's domestic executive vp and general manager. "In fact, I believe that the home video release of 'Reloaded' will boost ticket sales of 'Revolutions.' "

"Sure, this is an industry first," he added. "But we believe that this franchise presents us with a unique opportunity to combine a theatrical release of a very popular film with home video that will set a precedent for sales within the industry."

While both the VHS and DVD will be priced for sale to consumers, the DVD includes several bonus features that should boost sales, such as a behind-the-scenes look at how the freeway chase scene was crafted and shot and the humorous parody of "The Matrix Reloaded" that was featured on the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

"The Matrix Reloaded" has grossed about $274 million at the North American box office after nine weeks.

-By Brett Sporich
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

UPDATE:
Also this press release from Business Wire that lists the features...

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 2003-- Prepare to be blown away on October 14 with the highly anticipated DVD and VHS release of the record-breaking $700 million worldwide box-office smash hit The Matrix Reloaded.
Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, The Matrix Reloaded is the second chapter in the Wachowskis' groundbreaking action film trilogy that explores the nature of reality and the search for truth. In addition to the return of original Matrix stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Reloaded features such new cast members as Jada Pinkett Smith and Monica Bellucci.

Premiering October 14 on DVD and VHS from Warner Home Video Inc. (WHV) and Village Roadshow Pictures, The Matrix Reloaded is timed for release three weeks prior to the theatrical opening of The Matrix Revolutions, the final film in the futuristic series. The Matrix Reloaded will be priced to own at $29.95 SRP for DVD and $22.99 SRP for VHS.

DVD ELEMENTS

The two-disc DVD release includes an explosion of mind-freeing bonus features:

Preload -- Get a behind the scenes overview of The Matrix Reloaded with on-location footage and interviews with cast and crew.
The Freeway Chase -- Behind the scenes footage shows the viewer how the mind-blowing scene was captured on film.
What is The Animatrix? -- A glimpse into the history and the intrigue of the Animatrix.
Enter The Matrix -- Making of the best-seller video game and the groundbreaking technology used to create it. Your exclusive opportunity to step inside the world of Enter the Matrix.
The Matrix Unfolds -- A review of The Matrix phenomenon and its amazing cultural impact.
2003 MTV Movie Awards Matrix Reloaded parody.
Get Me An Exit -- Matrix-inspired advertising.
Weblinks to the official Matrix website.
SYNOPSIS

In the powerful second chapter of the Matrix trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne) lead the revolt against the Machine Army as it attacks Zion, the last human city on earth, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind.

What is The Matrix? The question is not yet fully answered. And it leads to another: Who created The Matrix? The answers lead to more worlds of bold possibility -- and to a destiny that passes from revelations to Revolutions.

BASICS

DVD - $29.95 SRP
VHS - $22.99 SRP
Street Date: October 14
Running time: 138 mins.
Rating: R (for sci-fi violence and some sexuality)
With operations in 78 international territories, Warner Home Video Inc. commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

Hey, if you were bummed that your local IMAX wasn't showing Reloaded a couple weeks ago, I highly recommend that you check the list of theaters again. I just found out that it IS playing here now and I'm ever so happy.

I found this piece reposted at this forum via matrix essays.

For my own personal archive purposes mostly, I'm posting it in its entirety (most of it in the extended entry-it's very long), with attribution to the author, Eric Furze, and with some hyperlinks inserted.

If anyone knows of the original source (I believe this made some email rounds) I'd like to properly credit that as well.

UPDATE: Thank you to the author, Eric Furze for stopping to comment and for letting me know that the final draft of this insightful piece can be found here, at Mataphilm.com. Go and read that version.

It will feed your mind.

Jesus, Buddha, and Gödel : Unraveling the Matrix Mythos

By Eric Furze

What do Christianity, Zen and formal mathematical logic have in common? If you look closely, “The Matrix: Reloaded” will tell you; beneath its shiny, heavily stylized surface, the second installment of the “Matrix” trilogy reveals a mythological sophistication that surpasses anything the genre has produced before. The trilogy’s penchant for religious iconography is, of course, already a widely celebrated phenomenon – philosophical essays on Neo’s messianic qualities began appearing in magazines and on websites shortly after the film was released in 1999 – but what has yet to be understood is that “Reloaded” profoundly redefines the structure and scope of that symbolism. While “The Matrix” was content to simply update ancient myths with modern images, the release of “Reloaded” reveals the Wachowskis to be attempting something much more ambitious: a synthesis of Oriental and Occidental mythology wholly new to the western literary tradition. If “Revolutions” can complete what “Reloaded” has begun, in fact, the trilogy could very well become the first mythology to unite East with West since the dawn of Occidental culture over 2500 years ago.

But the Wachowskis have more on their bookshelf than the Bible and the Ramayana, and in order to fully understand the framework of their creation, it is first necessary to grapple with a seminal, and famously difficult, result from mathematical logic. Fortunately, this detour through the esoteric is worthwhile: the good thing about math is that it is, if nothing else, predictable. The Wachowskis have adhered to it so faithfully, in fact, that its structure is readily visible and points to some fairly unavoidable conclusions about how the trilogy will resolve itself in its upcoming final installment.

Much more below. Might be spoilery in some sense, but it's really only philisophical speculation.

I. The Gödel Sentence and The One

Structurally, the mythology of the Matrix is patterned directly after a central result in 20th-century mathematical logic known as the Incompleteness Theorem, first discovered by the Austrian logician Kurt Gödel in the early 1930’s. For an excellent, mostly non-technical introduction to the Incompleteness Theorem, the interested reader is referred to “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” by Douglas Hofstadter. (There are also numerous websites dedicated to the topic, though they vary considerably in both didactic quality and requisite level of mathematical background.)

Gödel was able to demonstrate that any “formal system,” of which mathematics and computers are examples, is inherently incomplete. “Incomplete” has a very specific technical meaning; in broad strokes it means that there are truths that exist within a system that are not provable using the rules of that system. If the system is a set of mathematical axioms, this means that there are mathematical truths which are not provable (or “decidable”) using those axioms. Such an unprovable truth is known as a Gödel Sentence (G) and all formal systems have them (each particular system having its own unique G).

The relationship between Gödel and the Matrix is made evident when Neo confronts the Architect at the end of “Reloaded.” It is explained to him that:

Your life is the sum of the remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly which … is systemic, creating fluctuations in even the most simplistic equations.

Neo is a destabilizing anomaly inherent to every conceivable Matrix: in the language of mathematics, he is the Gödel Sentence itself.

The Prophecy of The One revolves around the fact that the Matrix is a computer and therefore is nothing more than just another formal system. As such, it is inherently incomplete and so there exists for that system the equivalent of a Gödel Sentence, G, which is true but undecidable within its framework. Neo, as The One, is the organic instantiation of G for the formal system of the Matrix. The Incompleteness Theorem tells us that every system has a G just as, in the movie, every version of the Matrix inevitably produces its own incarnation of The One.

According to the Architect’s explanation, whenever G for a particular version of the Matrix is found (i.e. The One is born) its incompatibility with the rules of the system leads inexorably to a “cataclysmic system crash.” In “Reloaded,” this progressive system failure is embodied by Agent Smith. Notice, for example, that his 'new purpose' was a direct and immediate result of Neo assuming his role as The One; he is the destructive consequence of the Gödel Sentence. His continuing 'replication' is simply the exponential spread of the instability (or anomaly) throughout the Matrix, and once it reaches all parts of the system (remember Smith admitting to "wanting everything"?) the Matrix will crash.

Fortunately for the Matrix, there is a way to avoid this disaster scenario. Mathematically speaking, any formal system can be ‘saved’ from a given G by simply incorporating that G into its axiom schema: making it a by-definition part of the system, thereby removing its undecidability. Within the framework of the movie, this is accomplished by having The One “return to the source,” which renews the Matrix and saves it from the instability introduced by his arrival. This is not a permanent fix, however: this new version of the Matrix is susceptible to its own version of the Gödel Sentence, which will ultimately lead to the birth of yet another One and a continuing cycle of death-and-rebirth of the system, ad infinitum. According to the Architect, what happens in the movie takes place during the fifth repetition of that cycle.

That’s the end of the math, but it is only the beginning of the story of “The Matrix,” for while mathematics provides the foundation, the Wachowskis have looked elsewhere for the materials with which to build their mythological edifice.

II. The Hero’s Journey

As the comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell described in “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” there are symbols and patterns which are common to myths and religions the world over, regardless of culture or era. This commonality manifests itself in what Campbell called the hero’s journey: a cycle of separation, initiation, and return that provides the structure on which the vast majority of myth is built. It is exemplified, for instance, by the “Star Wars” trilogy (which George Lucas admits borrowed heavily from Campbell’s work): Luke, the hero, leaves his home on Tatooine, proceeds along a road of trials through which he is initiated into his role of Jedi, and then returns to Tatooine to rescue his friends and, ultimately, liberate society. Another example, from ancient Greece, is “The Odyssey”: Odysseus leaves to fight against Troy, has a long road of adventure, and ultimately returns home to his reward. The Oriental tradition has the story of Buddha: Prince Gotama leaves his father’s home to discover the true nature of the world and in so doing awakens to his role as the Buddha. He then returns home as a teacher and guide to enlightenment. The list of examples is endless.

The fundamental difference between the Occidental and Oriental modes of the hero’s journey lies in the nature of the hero’s awakening. The Occidental hero succeeds by gaining relationship with the source of divine power external to himself (e.g., Luke gets his power from The Force, Christ gets his power through his relationship with God the Father). The Oriental hero, by contrast, awakens not by communing with a separately individuated divinity but by recognizing within himself the power of the divine (recognizing the godhead within, as the Buddha would say). The Buddha achieved enlightenment by realizing his lack of individual identity or ego: he was simply a part of a greater universal consciousness. The differing Eastern and Western mythological traditions spring, at their most basic, from these different understandings of humankind’s relationship with the divine. The Oriental hero recognizes his own divinity; the Occidental hero, separate from the divine, establishes a relationship with it.

What is unique about the “Matrix” trilogy is that it blends both the Occidental and Oriental modes of the hero’s journey. The 'ordinary' cycle of the Matrix, as explained by The Architect, is very clearly an example of the Eternal Return common to myths of the Orient: a static, never-ending cycle of life and death punctuated by the repeated incarnation of a world-saving hero. The first movie was the hero's journey in the Oriental mode (despite the popular, though inappropriate, identification of Neo with Christ in that movie): the protagonist succeeds via a transformative realization in which he recognizes within himself (in contrast to the Occidental mode) the unity of life and power of the divine. In that sense, the first movie was about Neo awakening to become the Buddha and, accordingly, that movie was rife with references to, and symbols of, Eastern mythology (e.g. bald, enlightened, lotus-sitting children dispensing Zen-koan-like wisdom and bending spoons with their mind).

“Reloaded,” however, breaks from this tradition when Neo refuses to fulfill his "Buddha destiny" of merging his consciousness with the Universal in continuation of the cosmic cycle (which is what would have happened had he chosen the “door on the right,” and it would have been the typical conclusion to an Oriental myth). Neo instead embraces the Occidental mode of the hero's journey, in which the protagonist succeeds by gaining connection with the power of the divine beyond himself. He affirms his individual identity (as opposed to the egoless monad of the Oriental tradition) in the most fundamentally human way possible: he chooses the romantic love of Trinity. In so doing, he turns away from his Oriental destiny and towards his Occidental one.

It is in this sense, then, that Neo becomes the Christ figure. If the Matrix is about choice then Neo, in his role as The One, is choosing for the entire population of still-connected humanity, choosing an existence apart from the Imposed Choice of the Matrix. Just as Christ fulfilled the law so that Christians would be free of the law, Neo will (presumably) fulfill his choice so that humanity can be free of that choice. What that fulfillment for Neo will actually entail has yet to been seen, but undoubtedly it will involve his confrontation and destruction of Agent Smith, the embodiment of the anomaly (sin) inherent to every human.

The identification of “choice” in the Matrix with “sin” in the Christian tradition can be understood by recognizing the first “perfect” Matrix as representative of the Garden of Eden. Biblically speaking, Eden represents a state of Man without knowledge of good and evil and therefore without the ability to choose between them. By introducing choice into the Matrix, as the Architect explains was a necessary evolution, humanity is banished from Eden, banished from the ‘perfection’ of the matrix without choice. Original sin is what drove man from Eden just as the first 'perfect' Matrix was doomed because of the "imperfection inherent to every human being." Christ died to free humanity from the stain of Original Sin; Neo will die to free humanity from the bondage of Imposed Choice.

III. East Meets West and What “Revolutions” Has in Store

At their most basic, the Oriental mythological forms are far older than those of the West: they stretch back to the very dawn of civilization, predating all known religious traditions. Zoroastrianism, around the turn of the first millennium B.C., was the first religious system to introduce the concepts and patterns which distinguished the Occident from this older tradition (the dates ascribed to Zoroaster vary rather widely, but by the time of the Jewish enslavement at the hands of the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C. Zoroastrianism had already become the dominant religion of the Persian Empire). From that branching point began the ever-widening gap between the Occidental and Oriental religious traditions that today divide the world into East and West. In the East, the unity of life and the never ending cycle of death and rebirth held sway; in the West, the inevitability of death, the separation from God and the yearn for return.

The interesting thing about the mythos of “The Matrix” is that it has managed to combine the Eastern and Western mythological traditions by creating, in Neo, a “hero’s hero” of sorts: a character who possesses the redemptive power of both Buddha and Christ, the egoless and the individuated, identification and relationship. The Wachowskis are certainly the first within the cinematic community to succeed at anything like this, and are perhaps breaking ground in wider arenas as well. They have created a proto-myth which is attempting to unify what became divided at the beginning of the Zoroastrian tradition. While within the Matrix, Neo functions in his role as the Buddha: at one with everything, able to manipulate ‘reality’ at will. Outside the Matrix, in the ‘real’ world, Neo will function as a Christ figure: apart from divinity but able, through his relationship with it, to direct its power.

What, then, does all this point to in terms of what we can expect from “Revolutions”? Nothing is certain, of course, but there seem to be some likely possibilities.

First up is the question of how Neo managed to stop the sentinels at the end of “Reloaded.” The mythological structure just formulated provides some answers which manage to explain this mystery without resorting to something as banal and unimaginative as – to take a popular online theory – a Matrix within a Matrix. Since it happened in the real world, Neo was necessarily functioning in his Occidental role as the Christ. It was therefore not accomplished through any organic power inherent to Neo himself, but rather he was able to somehow communicate with the “God of the machines” (presumably the Architect) and through that communication control the behavior of machines in the real world. That is, Neo (by some physical channel that has yet to be made clear – perhaps via a device implanted in his body along with his plugs and input jacks and not activated until he chose “the door on the left”) essentially “prayed” to the Architect, asking him to stop what was about to destroy him. The Architect, being a benign divinity, had mercy and complied. This will require confirmation in “Revolutions,” of course, but it seems, for now, to be a reasonably satisfying explanation.

If “Revolutions” has Neo continuing in the pattern of Christ, he likely must die in the real world before assuming the proper role of savior (just as, to assume his role as Buddha, he died in the virtual world of the Matrix). The mechanism of that death has already been hinted at, with Bane being an obvious candidate to play the role of Judas: perhaps he will “betray” Neo by convincing the council (or even Morpheus himself) that The One’s choice has doomed the Matrix and that it can only be saved by sacrificing Neo. Morpheus would actually be an interesting choice as it would provide a compelling parallel to the New Testament: Christ was, after all, crucified at the behest of the Pharisees, the leaders of the old religious tradition. But whatever the mechanism, that death will result in Neo being sent, like Christ, to hell: presumably to be symbolized by a Matrix completely taken over by Smith. Neo will enter this hell to confront and ultimately defeat Smith, thereby banishing the anomaly from the Matrix and saving (in both the literal and mythological sense) every person still plugged in.

Fulfilling his destiny, Neo will return (resurrect) to the real world where he will assume his true role of savior: he will be a means of communication with the machines through which humanity will be able save itself from the wrath of the sentinels. He will enable the establishment of a true relationship between humans and machines, just as Christ enabled the establishment of a relationship of expiation and forgiveness with God the Father (John 14:6, “I am the way … No one reaches the Father except through me”). This relationship liberates believing Christians from the burden of Judaic Law just as Neo will liberate humanity from the bonds of the Matrix and spare Zion from the wrath of the sentinels.

In the garden of Eden grew two trees of particular significance: the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. When Adam tasted of the Tree of Knowledge, God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” … So He drove man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24)

As Campbell explains in his volume on Oriental mythology, thence comes the separation between East and West:

Of the tree that grows in the garden where God walks in the cool of the day, the wise men westward of Iran have partaken of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, whereas those on the other side of that cultural divide have relished only the fruit of eternal life. And if man should taste of both fruits he would become, we have been told, as God himself – which is the boon that the meeting of East and West today is offering to us all.

This boon is exactly what the Wachowskis are aiming for: a union of Eastern and Western religious traditions. Assuming “Revolutions” is able to finish what “Reloaded” has begun, the “Matrix” trilogy is virtually assured of becoming the definitive sci-fi mythology of this generation. And, if it does things really right, perhaps even the first universal myth of the post-globalization era. What Zoroaster divided, let the Wachowskis reunite.

Here's a look at the first teaser poster for The Matrix Revolutions (Yay! 140 days!). I like it. Nice and simple, but still intriguing.

You can get a look at it a little bigger over here.

I really need to go see Reloaded again this week. I haven't even started trying to figure out what might happen in Revolutions.
If you think you do, you can go over to The Masked reviewer's site, where he's having a contest to predict just what the hell will go on in the final part of the trilogy. (via matrix essays)

I hope the soundtrack is good.

Send more Rob D.

Meanwhile, also over at the Official Matrix Site, I see there are a few new things to check out, including that they are auctioning off Niobe's costume for charity. If anyone has a spare 10k laying about, it's for a good cause.

Oh, and go say hi to the Miketrix. Groovy design.

Quintessential king of screenplay snark, Rod Hilton of The Editing Room has his version of the abridged script of The Matrix Reloaded (I'm linking to the printer friendly version as I keep getting php errors, let me know if it doesn't work).

KEANU REEVES
What was the Osiris? And who was
that kid in zion who kept pestering
me?

THE EXPLAINER
You will find the answers to these
questions by purchasing The
Animatrix, a collection of nine
animated shorts from some of Anime's
top directors.

KEANU REEVES
Alright. Well, what was that crap
Glora said about vampires and
werewolves? And how did Jada Pinkett
Smith get to Laurence Fishburne
during the car chase? And what the
hell happened during the power plant
takeover climax that-wasn't?

THE EXPLAINER
You will find the answers to those
questions by purchasing the Enter
The Matrix game, available for
Windows, Playstation2, Xbox, and
Gamecube. Enter the Matrix features
awesome gunplay and spectacular
martial arts that bend the rules of
the Matrix. This game isn't just
set in the Matrix universe--it's an
integral part of the experience,
with a story that weaves in and out
of The Matrix Reloaded. Enter the
Matrix is the story behind the
story.

KEANU REEVES
Fine! Then tell me this, what the
hell is with Hugo Weaving saying he
and I have some special connection?
And how come I can control machines
in the real world? And will we win
the war if I don't choose the door
to my right?

THE EXPLAINER
You will find the answers to these
questions when you watch The Matrix
Revolutions, coming later in 2003.

KEANU REEVES
I hate you.

THE EXPLAINER
Perhaps you should drink more
Powerade.

Go check out The Editing Room.

Have you checked out "The Matrix parody to end all of those damn Matrix parodies", Dominic Mah's The Matrices?

You should go to iFilm and do that.

Wheee! The Matrix Reloaded opens in IMAX theaters today.

Click the banner above to go to the IMAX site for info, or head over to MatrixFans.net for a list of theaters.

It's not scheduled to play at the IMAX here at Vegas, because this town sucks that way...so this weekend I'm going to seize the chance to go while I'm in LA.

Keanu, six stories high.

Wowsers.

No One Can Tell You (What The Chronic Is)
by Tom of Matrix Essays

(If The Matrix: Reloaded were a gangsta rap video)


[Music: Fade in background music, distant gunshots, distant sirens. Cross fade to sounds of glasses clinking and women moaning.]

[Visual: The camera pans across the park where, in Reloaded, Neo meets with the Oracle and then fights Agent Smith. A group of Fly Girls are standing up against the walls, waiting.]

Morpheus (speaking, as voice-over): No one can tell you what the chronic is, you have to smoke it for yourself.

[Music: A rap beat begins.]

[Visual: Neo drives up in a tricked-out black convertible, which is visibly shaking from its massive stereo system pounding out the beat. Neo steps out, leans back against the car, takes a final drag on his blunt and tosses it on the ground.]

Neo (rapping):

Yo, Cypher was a zero but I'm the One.
I'm the reloaded hero with the big black gun.
I was born in the Matrix, y'all, back in the hood
but I took the red pill and it went down good
with an Absolut chaser and a twist o' lime.
In the desert of the real I'm a bust a rhyme.

I can walk a tightrope after drinkin' a fifth,
stop a bullet in the air, slap Agent Smith
straight down to the floor, plumb through to the cella,
and I'm mackin' every tasty little Zion cave dwella.
Blowin' into your town like a pimp typhoon,
stirrin' coffee with my mind 'cause there ain't no spoon.


[Visual: the Fly Girls step away from the wall and start a slow, undulating dance.]

Fly Girls (singing):

No one can tell you what the chronic is,
you have to smoke it for yourself. Ooooh-ooo-ooooh.
No one can tell you what the chronic is,
you have to smoke it for yourself.


Neo (rapping):

I'm the N to the E-O, a man of means,
mad kung fu skillz to submarine the machines,
now I'm takin' my game to the digitized streets
where the sucka AI's know I can't be beat.
Not afraid of algorithms or electronics --
I trump the chumps 'cause I've got the chronic.
I'm high on the red pill, down with the truth,
if I got to jack out, I got a telephone booth.
I'm the O-N-E and my story's allegorical,
y'all watch me now while I kick it with the Oracle.

[Visual: the Fly Girls' dancing becomes more aggressive and acrobatic.]

Fly Girls (singing):

No one can tell you what the chronic is,
you have to smoke it for yourself. Ooooh-ooo-oooh.
No one can tell you what the chronic is,
you have to smoke it for yourself.


[Visual: Neo approaches the Oracle. Unlike in the movie, here the Oracle's avatar is a gorgeous young Black woman. She wears a neon pink bikini and lounges in a hot tub. A bottle of champagne sits beside her, and she takes a sip from her glass. She slides out of the hot tub to sit on the edge with her legs dangling in the water. The camera zooms in briefly on water droplets running down her body, then zooms back out.]


Oracle (rapping):

I'm gonna lay the funky rhymes down verse by verse
I predict the last word before I've heard the first.
Put your hands in the air for my Oracle style
'cause I'm from the old school like an ASCII text file.

Neo, you a playa, you the pimp of the Matrix.
Your girl's fine, dressin' like a dominatrix --
haxor skillz and stiletto heels,
give Trinity props, you know she keepin' it real.

Now have a seat Neo 'cause I know you will later.
Cozy up to me, don't be no Oracle-hater.
We both got the munchies so eat this candy.
I knew before I bought it, it would come in handy.

You ask, "Oracle, Oracle, on the wall,
how can I sit back while my shorty takes the fall?
And all the king's softwarez, and all the king's men
can't bring my baby online again."
But Neo you're fakin' like a masquerade,
'cause that's one choice you know you already made.
You came to hear the "why," and I'll tell you for free:
You need a little old guy, looks like a burned-out Bruce Lee
to hit you with the key that will get you through the door.
And once you're in there, yeah you can rock it hard core.
Go see the Merovingian is what I say,
Now my next party's startin' so I'm on my way.

[Visual: a stretch limo pulls up, with Seraph behind the wheel. The Oracle slips into a fancy silk bathrobe, puts on her high heels, and gets into the limo, which drives away.]


Fly Girls (singing):

No one can tell you what the chronic is,
You have to smoke it for yourself. Ooooh-ooo-oooooh.
No one can tell you what the chronic is,
You have to smoke it for yourself.

[Visual: Agent Smith walks up to Neo. He straightens his tie and begins to rap. As he raps, other copies of Smith take up positions all around him.]


Agent Smith (rapping):

Y'all AI-hataz think you bringin' some game?
There's a hundred in my crew, and we all the same.
When one catch a slug, the rest never complain,
and we spreadin' like a virus all through the mainframe.

Often imitated, I'm crazy replicated,
the Smith on my left was some bitch I once dated.
It's gettin' complicated but I'm tellin' you true:
don't go runnin' to your mama 'cause now she's a Smith, too.

If I catch you with my code, I'll load you up with me,
And then you'll be the S to the M-I-T
to the H, that's Smith, there's an endless supply,
so come step to the beat of the gangsta AI.

[Visual: Neo and all the Agent Smiths fight in the "burly brawl" scene. Neo flies away. The Smiths walk away. Only the Fly Girls remain. The picture becomes pixilated, fades to black, then the camera pulls back, revealing that the black background was the iris of the left eye of the lead Fly girl, as if perhaps the entire scene has been only an idea in her mind. She sits on the ground, her back to the wall. She runs her fingers through her hair and stares into the camera.]

Lead Fly Girl (singing solo):

No one can tell me what the chronic is,
I have to smoke it for myself.
Ooooooh-oooo-ooooooh, yeah-yeah.

[Fade out.]

(First published at http://matrixessays.blogspot.com
This article may be freely reproduced if it is unchanged and this notice is included.)

Is this brilliant or what? This video needs to be made!

I got my copy of The Animatrix yesterday. I was disappointed in the little patch crackerjack prize (some promos had clocks! and mousepads!) and they didn't want to honor my little 5$ off voucher that I got at the theater because I was buying the DVD/CD combo and it wasn't "coming up to qualify for the discount".
How stupid is that? Way to punish people that are spending more money at your store.Facists.
Natually, I pitched a fit and made them call a manager over, who still couldn't over-ride it. They ended up offering me a "price-match" which gave me a four dollar discount. So if you go to Best Buy, tell them that CompUSA has it for $22.99 and make them give it to you at that price.

Oh, and I paid for holding up the line, as the sweet adorable little daughter of the gentleman behind me had not yet learned the rules of "personal space" and kept putting her hands on my ass. Finally, a stern "Stop. Touching. Her." from dad made the violation stop.

The whole orderal was frightfully worth it, though. Really like the CD.
And loved The Animatrix shorts.

Hard to pick a favorite. I really loved Beyond, and while Kid's Story didn't shed as much light on that character as I had hoped ("Well, I'll be darned. He did unplug hisself") I have to say that Matriculated is my favorite. Fabulous imagery and fascinating story. And the end?

(it gets a little spoilery below. And warning, if you click the comment link and open the other page, you will see the spoiler stuff)

"It loves her! And now it's all alone and sad!"

Oh, I cried like a baby. This stuff gets to me. (I cried at the end of Silent Running, too.)

And it really fuels my feeling that it's all about the LOVE.

ANIMATRIX is released today.

I don't know where my mind is.

Oh wait, yeah I do. It's swirling around in my head saying "can I have a cigarette? can I have a cigarette? How about now? huh? how about now? Can I have a cigarette?"

Yeah, I quit smoking. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I'm at the "fuck everything and give me more pistachios" phase.

Just keep your fingers away from my cage.

The following contains Reloaded spoilers

                The Matrix: ReSeussed

                       by Tom

(If "The Matrix: Reloaded" had been written by Dr. Seuss)

NEO:          I am the One and I am free.
              The Oracle is fond of me.
              I need that dude who makes the key.
MEROVINGIAN:  You only dream that you are free,
              Look all around -- causality:
              It's in the wine, it's in the steak,
              It's in this chocolate cake I bake.
              See yonder blonde? She sure looks fine.
              One bite of cake, and she'll be mine.
              Then in the restroom where we're meeting,
              You can guess what she'll be eating.
              So, goodbye.
NEO:                        But I am free, 
              And he is not the boss of me!
PERSEPHONE:   He is a pig, she is a whore,
              I've seen this scene twelve times before.
              The tricks he's pulled, the lies he's said --
              I'll shoot his werewolf in the head!
              I'll fix him good for being sly;
              I'll give you the key maker guy.
              But first, a kiss to seal the deal;
              Just make me feel that it's for real.
NEO:          This bargain does have some appeal . . .
              OK, a kiss, and now we're through.
PERSEPHONE:   I'm very cute, curvaceous too,
              Is that the best that you can do?
              It must be true, the things they say --
              The tabloid stories that you're . . .
NEO:                                                 Hey!  
              Let's try again, you are a hottie.
              Here's a kiss that's really naughty.
              (Trinity will hate this night.
              She'll bring it up each time we fight.)
PERSEPHONE:   Now, that was better, way to go!
              I feel a tingle, head to toe.
              Let's have another.
TRINITY:                          Back off, ho!
              Or taste a bullet from my gun.
PERSEPHONE:   Too bad you're with her, she's no fun.
              Well, come with me, we won't get caught.
              I'll let you in my secret spot:
              A steamy, dark place down below,
              A tunnel deep in my chateau.
MORPHEUS:     Could this be symbolism?
TRINITY:                                No.
PERSEPHONE:   Come through this door and take a peek.
              This little guy is the locksmith geek.
KEYMAKER:     I've got the keys to every lock.
              I jingle-jangle when I walk!
NEO:          And can you get me to the Source?
KEYMAKER:     I have that key. Of course!  Of course!
              I'm on your side, just don't take me
              Through airport gate security.

(First published at http://matrixessays.blogspot.com
 This poem may be freely reproduced if it is unchanged 
 and this notice is included.)

I just got off a 30 minute phone call with the guy that wrote my business software.

We spent the last 25 minutes talking about Reloaded.

According to Big White Guy, the title "The Matrix Reloaded" got translated to:

22nd Century
Killer Matrix 2
War with the Future

in Hong Kong.

Thanks, Jenn!

"The Matrix Reloaded'' Makes Motion Picture History, Rocketing to Record $157.6 Million Box Office in First Seven Days

Audiences are plugging into "The Matrix Reloaded" in record numbers, powering the second chapter of the "Matrix" trilogy to unprecedented box office receipts. Making motion picture history, Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' blockbuster film earned $157.6 million in its first seven days of domestic release, setting a new record for the biggest opening week ever, and surpassing the $151.6 million grossed by previous record holder "Spider-Man" in its first seven days. "The Matrix Reloaded's" gross to date is now $158.2 million.
"Reloaded" also charted the fastest climb to $150 million in film history, hitting the mark on its sixth day of release and continuing to build momentum. "We are extremely proud of the success of `The Matrix Reloaded,'" said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "It is vastly gratifying when a film that we believe in so strongly is received by audiences with such unparalleled enthusiasm."

"We set the bar remarkably high for `Reloaded,'" said producer Joel Silver. "Our ultimate goal, made possible by the brilliant work of Larry and Andy Wachowski and our exceptional cast and crew, was to deliver an extraordinary film to the fans who have waited three years for the next chapter in the epic story of `The Matrix.' Their commitment has been unprecedented, and the film's success is a testament to that devotion."

Funny thing happened on the way to pick up Roi for dinner last night...I got freaking rear-ended at a stop light. I'm fine and the damage is minimal, mostly just the imprints of the screws of the guy's license plate and a bit of a scrape, but since the Station Wagon is barely two months old, so it WILL be claimed and repaired. He also said that right before he kissed my bumper with his front end, he was looking at my license plate, and mentioned that he just saw Reloaded Tuesday night.
It's too bad I was thisclose to wrapping my fingers around his throat for hitting me, as we could have dated.

I think I will probably go see the movie again tonight. I've done a lot of reading the past few days, so it will be interesting to view it again with some new knowledge.

I know that the reactions around have been pretty mixed. You'll never see me say anything bad about this movie, the cast or the Wachowskis, though.

Like they need a fan griping and nitpicking when they've apparently got their hands full. What, with post-production on Revolutions and pissing off not only the Republicans, but the albino community as well.

Of course, Keanu has been handling the promo tour with class.

"Wearing a black suit and white shirt he withstood the pouring rain, walking from fan to fan to sign autographs and pose for photographs.

The star, who ploughed a lot of his own money into the film, spent 30 minutes rewarding those who had waited so long, and later said: 'I wish I could have stayed out longer.

'It's absolutely fantastic,' he continued. 'It's extraordinary.

'Some people have been really anxious for this film to come out and I just hope it lives up to their expectations.

'I've loved making the film and I just hope that it brings as much enjoyment to those who watch it.' "

It does baby, it so does.

It's a good thing I managed to get the cute candy tank top on eBay that I wanted, or I'd consider becoming a VFX/Grip/Caterer groupie in order to get some of the sweet sweet swag from Reloaded.

There's quite a bit and it's fun to look through (even if a bit taunting for a t-shirt collector like me).

I like that accounting and the medic team have good senses of humor.

I actually hope that not much of this ever appears on the 'bay, and I don't think it will. I imagine that what these t-shirts represent in labor and love is far more precious than the pretty penny they might fetch.

Besides, I can't afford to bid on them anyway.

Well, I didn't actually make it to another showing of Reloaded this weekend.
Not that they needed my nine bucks, as the box-office pretty much trounced everyone else (thanks to Anne for the boxofficemojo.com link).

Everyone I know has wanted to talk to me about this movie. I guess I'm the hometown "Keanu pundit" (tho I prefer "maven").

I love the conversations that start out "I hear it sucks."

Because then I get to argue why it doesn't and that "you're just an idiot".
That's always fun for me.

Because there is no 'suck' in this movie (except maybe in the ladies' room, heh). Sure, it's a little dense with ideas and maybe, just maybe it didn't live up to the hype (but does anything? ever?) and perhaps sometimes one can be a little distracted by the imagery and not be able to catch all the words but what's wrong with a film that makes you work a little bit?
And to those that complain that it was too hard to make sense of I have to remind that it's really just half a movie. A half of a movie that needs to be watched more than once or even twice. And that you need to pay attention, because every thing, every scene, every character has its purpose.
Granted, that in some cases the purpose might be to show off a little bit. I do think the burly brawl went on a smidge too long (and while I'm on the subject, while the virtual camera was impressive, certainly better than anything we have seen in motion pictures yet, I don't think we need to worry about virtual actors taking away jobs. Maybe it's because I'm so very tuned into Keanu's face and the way he moves that I didn't enjoy the effect as maybe I should have). But I don't agree that the Zion dance/ Neo and Trinity sex scene was gratuitous. I think they were very important to show the passion and love of human beings. To emphasize the flesh. I think that there was a lot to tell in this middle part of the story and it was done well with amazing attention to detail.
And it's in the details that you will find both the story and the genius that goes into telling it.

Like this....

"We have all seen many movies like Hackers which pass off ridiculous 3D animated eye-candy scenes as hacking. So I was shocked to find that Trinity does it properly in The Matrix Reloaded. She whips out Nmap version 2.54BETA25, uses it to find a vulnerable SSH server, and then proceeds to exploit it using the SSH1 CRC32 exploit from 2001. Shame on them for being vulnerable. "

It's that kind of fine touch for which I adore this movie, and those involved with it.

After the second viewing, I even felt myself start to complain that as a whole there was something I was not quite happy about. But then if I broke it down into individual scenes, I have to say that each one was perfect. I think the reason that the whole film seems "off" is because it's unresolved and only after we see the third film, and complete the cycle from birth to life to death will we really appreciate Reloaded.

And at that point you might as well put a big bowl of water at the Wachowski's feet, because we will all be their bitches.

Thank jebus for Yahoo news alerts*.

Reloaded is breaking box-office records.

*(I have no idea what's going on, I've been busy all day trying to design band logos to submit to Paulie of becky for use on their demo CD, wish me luck!)

Yes, I saw Reloaded again this morning.
I'm still going to have to go a couple more times, there's so much to parse.

Below are a few random thoughts, don't click if you haven't seen it yet.

I mean it.

Apparently, there are no laundry facilities in the real world.

To mention Dozer and not Tank was a bit awkward. OK, he *was* mentioned (just not by name) when Zee says "two brothers". I stand corrected But I do enjoy Link.

I spotted Bret in Zion!

I hate when I'm having sex and my partner has premonitions of my death and just rolls off, that's just rude.

Speaking of which, I hope my next partner doesn't have a problem with Fluke's "Zion" on repeat at full volume while we do it.

My eyes welled up seeing Gloria Foster.

He took the candy but didn't eat it.

I didn't like the music for the Burley Brawl. If it was a homage to something I'll understand, though.

Merovingian is a most delicious villan.

Next time I eat out, I'm having chocolate cake for dessert.

Trinity handled Persephone's request much better than I would have.

My favorite fight was the Chateau, Although I liked the one with Seraph as well. Burly Brawl was all about the effects. I'll elaborate later.

Heh. Bane. Clever name.

One of the main reasons I HAVE to go yet again soon is that I was so distracted by the images on the screens in the scene with the Architect that I missed part of what he was saying.

The sexiest, most intimate scene was not the sex scene in Zion, but when Neo reaches inside Trinity to massage her heart.

"I love you too damn much." THUD!

There's more....a lot more, but a have to get to work.

Oh, P.S. Hello to the girl I met in the parking lot (who's name I've forgotten, sorry!) and gave my card to.

Sincerely and Always,

I'm definitely leaving early from work today.

I've updated the sidebar with a stupid radioactive tic-tac looking thing. Click that to listen to the voicemonkey mailbox where I'll be leaving messages tonight. It only posts the most recent message, but don't worry, if there's any real good ones I'll post direct links in an entry tomorrow once I sort them out.
I hope I can manage something interesting to say besides "ohmygod!I'm here" and "ohmygodthelineissolong" or "wheeeeee! I'm drunk!" . I expect the whole experiment to be pretty lame, though. So don't stay home for it or anything.

I'll be meeting Jo between 8 and 8:30 at the hotel bar. I'm not too worried about getting good seats, with stadium seating these days, as long as you aren't in the nausea-inducing first row, pretty much every seat is good.

I hope there aren't any jackasses in the theater (besides me, of course)...I hope I remember to turn the ringer off of the phone.

I'm almost sick with excitement. I'd better go get some tums.

UPDATE:
Because I can never get his comments to work, there's a special voicemonkey message for Tony Pierce, who fucking rocks.

Less than 24 hours.....

*bounce*

Thanks to Margarete of the Pic of the Day club for the first look at Keanu from tonight's premiere of Reloaded.

Oh my god. That little lip scar drives me bonkers.

Oooooh, here's another...

He's looking around wondering "where's krix"?

And there are more from tonight up at Yahoo's photos.

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Session - Linkin Park
2. This Is The New Shit - Marilyn Manson
3. Reload - Rob Zombie
4. Furious Angels (Instrumental) - Rob Dougan
5. Lucky You - Deftones
6. The Passportal - Team Sleep
7. Sleeping Awake - P.O.D.
8. Bruises - Unloco
9. Calm Like A Bomb - Rage Against The Machine
10. Dread Rock - Oakenfold
11. Zion - Fluke
12. When The World Ends (Oakenfold Remix) - Dave Matthews Band

Disc: 2
1. Main Title - Don Davis
2. Trinity Dream - Don Davis
3. Teahouse - Juno Reactor Featuring Gocoo
4. Chateau - Rob Dougan
5. Mona Lisa Overdrive - Juno Reactor/Don Davis
6. Burly Brawl - Juno Reactor vs. Don Davis
7. "Matrix Reloaded" Suite - Don Davis

This is in stores now. I'm thinking of closing up shop to go pick one up.
I hear there are even some CD enhancements on the second disc.

ALSO, note that this comes in 2 versions, one with an advisory label and an *edited* version without the explicit lyrics. Read the label.

The Second Renaissance Part 2 is now up at the Animatrix official site.

The Second Renaissance parts 1&2 are the anime shorts that were written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and show us the events that lead up to the war with the machines. I really liked part one, and now I can't wait to get home to download and watch the second part.

UPDATE:
I'm SO glad I haven't read this or gotten it yet.
Apparently it pretty much spoils the whole plot.

The Matrix is the coverstory on the newest issue of TIME Magazine.
I'm not sure if it is on the stands yet, I will look tonight.

[link to online article removed!]

The one with the twins at the top of the page has something spoilery, I think. I've already washed it out of my mind.

I think most of the current articles have some level of spoiler info, in order to tease the general public (those philistines that want to know what a movie is about before they go see it, pshaw!). So this next week you're pretty much taking a chance with anything you read. Now I trust that none of it will ruin the experience, but really...if you're a purist, best to lock yourself in a closet for the next 10 days. Or at least stay away from the net.

The main thing I'm going to be avoiding is reviews. God knows what sort of thing those enthusiastic lucky souls who get to see the movie before us mere mortals will let slip.

UPDATE: Looks like I will be avoiding most of the matrix boards as well. You're on your own, folks.

DarkHorizons.com has interviews with both Keanu and Laurence.

For Keanu, though an established success at the time of the original Matrix, he has gone through a lot in the last five years, both personally and professionally. More self-assured these days, he says that although he hasn't reflected specifically about how he might have changed since The Matrix, "I'll just say I'm older and older. I don't know. It's such a hard question. With any experience you have, you know more about yourself in terms of what goes on, in terms of being away from home for so long. Then, through that you discover what is important and there are things that inform you, including the friendships along the way." Including the shoot on the first Matrix, Reeves spent close to two years living in Sydney working on the trilogy, or "basically my whole 37th year working on the last Matrix films." The actor admits that "It was really hard to be away from friends and family that long." But at least it was in Sydney and he defines his experiences in the Australian city as being memorable. "I just loved the city. Great people, beautiful weather, beautiful architecturally and there's good cuisine there. In terms of working that way, and working in film, it doesn't happen all the time, if ever, that you have to apply yourself, go for that length of time on a project. And that's okay to me, especially when you love something and you get the extraordinariness of it. It is demanding in terms of missing your friends and family and also applying yourself to your work for that length of time."

Go to Dark Horizons to grok both interviews in fullness.

To steal a phrase from AICN's review of Reloaded:
"Jim-Jammity Jesus Krispy Kreme Christ on a twat-rocket!"
There is NO WAY I can keep up with all the media out there.

But let's see....
Thanks to Club Keanu for putting a schedule right at the top of their page :)
Here are a few upcoming television appearances that you might want to tape or Tivo:

Mon May 5-Entertainment Tonight (syndicated)- More on Reloaded
Mon May 5 - Jay Leno - Laurence Fishburne - NBC - 11:30pm
Thu May 8 (might be the 9th) The Today Show - Keanu Reeves - NBC - 7am
Thu May 8 - Jay Leno - Keanu Reeves - NBC - 11:30pm
Thu May 8 - MTV Movie House - Matrix Special - 9pm
Sun May 11 - MTV Movie House - Matrix Special - 11pm
Thu May 15 - ET on E! - Behind the Scenes of The Matrix Reloaded 5:30pm
Tues May 27 - Keanu on Biography - A&E 8pm
Wed May 28 - Keanu on Biography - A&E

The Last Free City.com has been absorbed by UGO.com and now has some really agressive Powerade marketing to deal with before you even get to the good stuff. But they really are on the ball news-wise so whatever keeps them up and running is okay by me.
One spiffy thing is that TLFC member "the_one" is hosting some sort of "wait in line party" at Universal Citywalk. So if you live in that aera you might want to check it out.

Sounds like a whole lot of fun.

I'm sure there is news I'm missing, so check your favorite links for more hype and info.

Oh, and here's a little snark on a Saturday morning...
The other night, Amanda Peet was on Letterman and talked a little bit about the Nancy Meyers film. She mentioned her other co-stars but not Keanu. What the hell?

So, I pretty much hate her now.

I am tickled to see that Jon Favreau is part of that cast now. I love him.

Thank you all for the welcome back messages. Now to play a bit of catch-up....

I found out that indeed, there are some showings of Reloaded at 10 PM on the 14th here, So I am planning to catch that show as well as the 10 AM show on the 15th. At least that's the plan, as Fandango hates me today and keeps spitting out "so sorry, come back later" messages. Bastards.

Keanu was adorable on Entertainment Tonight (click that link, there's a video clip) last night. I missed it in the evening, but some mysterious force woke me up at two AM and rather than question it, I turned on the TV and yep, there he was all funny and charming and....well, it was hard to get back to sleep after.
The lovely Zion has posted some screen grabs from the segment over at Reeves Drive MB. (via club-keanu)

ComingSoon.net has a big gallery of Reloaded stills, most we have already seen, but some we have not. I really dig the first one (of him in front of the screens) and am going to try and figure out how to do a wallpaper of it, I think.

Oh, and the May Calendar is up.

I just say I get very thirsty sometimes.

Where does the actor end and the code begin?
If you read the WIRED article*, you know about the groundbreaking processes and techniques that were used to create realistic CGI "clones" in order to create the no-boundries camera work in the fight sequences in the upcoming Matrix films.

Thanks to Wrygrass, who scanned and sent out an article from Popular Science magazine with a look at this:

*Warning: the below might shatter a bit of the mystique - read at your own risk.

Popular Science May 2003
Science of Cinema
PIXEL-PERFECT DIGITAL CLONES ARE READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UPS
Sit back while The Matrix Reloaded boots up the next generation of virtual filmmaking.

Perhaps the only thing more outlandish than the rumored $300 million budget fueling the wildly anticipated Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, is the films' new jaw-dropping visual effects wizardry. When Reloaded opens in theaters on May 15, viewers will spy the most realistic computer-generated faces ever made, claims visual effects supervisor George Borshukov. His team at Esc Entertainment in Alameda, California, has spent the past three years designing digital mugs that precisely mimic the faces of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving, the sequel's stars.

"Creating a believable synthetic face is the ultimate challenge in computer graphics," says Borshukov. That's because humans are trained from birth to make and recognize more than 10,000 complex facial expressions, most of them too subtle to be accurately simulated in standard computer-generated renderings.

To create photo-realistic digital copies of the actors' faces, Esc had to first invent an ultraprecise facial mapping technique, dubbed "universal capture." Unlike standard motion capture techniques, in which a camera records facial movements by tracking painted-on dots, universal capture uses five Sony CineAlta high-definition digital cameras arrayed around a live, line-reading actor. The cameras zoom in and track minute facial imperfections, like pores or whiskers. The 3-D information then streams from the cameras (at about one gigabyte per second) into a proprietary suite of computer programs that extract the actors' facial expressions, stretch virtual skin and grow synthetic hair. The results are impressive: In an epic fight scene, 100 clones of the trilogy's main villain, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) battle Matrix hero Neo (Keanu Reeves). Whose face is real is anyone's guess. "I'll be curious to see how many people realize that some faces in the movie are 100 percent computer generated," says Borshukov. "It's going to be a very interesting psychological experiment for the audience." -Nicole Dyer

Yes, it is a bit of a psychological experiment. When I saw this photo under the diagram in the article , I realized that it was most likely a "virtual Neo" that was making me all creamy inside when I got my first glimpse of it in the Superbowl trailer.
How do I feel about that?
Hmmmm.
I'm going to have to embrace the ideal that these CGI characters are not replacing the actors, only enhancing the way their performances are caught on film. I'm willing to bet that some fucknugget will bitch about "it's not really Keanu" doing all that fighting, but to that I'd say that it really doesn't matter, because this is a movie, not a showcase for Keanu's (or anyone elses) fighting skills and the whole film is what it's about. The Matrix is about breaking those physical rules. If the Matrix were to be limited by what it was physically possible for a camera to do around an actor, that same fucknugget would be bitching that the fights were "lame".
I'm sure that whatever a human actor was caple of? Keanu went there. And he went there with a passion.
Besides, Neo is more than a fighting machine. Much more.
While Keanu brings the physical dedication required for the role, he also brings the acting skills.
I will always feel that no one else could have played this role. Not like he has.

On another note, I'm completely turned on and geeked out by the fact that somewhere there are banks of computers storing every nuance of his face.

*Speaking of the WIRED article, the author-Steve Silberman- took the time to leave several really great comments on my earlier entry. I [heart] Steve.

~~ 2:19 PM
I will restore commments in a bit.
~~~3:08 PM
OK, comment feature is restored with a clean slate.
Thank you Tyler for calling me and being understanding.--krix

Matrix Billboard.

Quite groovy of Fran to take and post the pic.

The international posters for Reloaded are now up at the official site

Go look!

The Smith one is extremely cool.

(via matrixfans.net)

OK.

Not not only did I completely drop the ball by not linking the Wired article on J-Gae and the Matrix, but I get blogger demerits for slacking because I missed the Metafilter thread on the article, which you should check out, because Steve Silberman (the article author) is a MeFi user and actually particpates in the discussion.

"In person, Gaeta was very bright, forthcoming, and friendly, albeit with the personality quirks that I described in the article. (I'm in favor of personality quirks.) He didn't come off like a corporate lackey at all, but more like a very sharp geeky guy who has been able to make a living doing what excites him most."

Gosh, I love the internet.

"Tickets. Who needs tickets?" ::jacket flash::

Well, the comments below caused me to panic and make sure I could get advance tickets to Reloaded.

I looked the movie up on Fandango and it looks like I'll be able to get tickets to the 10 am showing at the theater just down the street.

I've never used Fandango, but I guess it beats standing in line, though.
On the other hand, it might be fun to bond with any other Matrix freaks here in the area.

Anyhoo.....
So check your zip code on Fandango. Are there any other services to buy tickets through? I'm not sure. You have just over three weeks to figure it out or call your local bijou to secure your own seats, so don't blow it.

"I didn't suffer. Yeah, there's bruising and blood and kicks and concussions and you can't sleep because your legs ache and you cry when you're stretching and you're in ice baths and you're lonely and you miss your friends and your family and you're trying to keep it together and you're trying to live and fight and create for the next day. It's like going out to sea, man, you dont know where you are or how you are, but you want to keep going, you want to be alive." ~Keanu Reeves

I feel so many things when I read in the Premiere article about how hard Keanu and the rest of the cast worked on Reloaded/Revolutions. Then I read what Carrie-Ann Moss says about training here and this interview from Lachy Hulme - Movie Hole 4/03

What were some of the hardest sequences in the film...was anyone hurt?

"Every scene was the hardest scene to film. You have no idea the level of mental and physical endurance required to sustain yourself in a project like this. From my point of view, it was the mental challenge of keeping six-hundred pages of script in my head -- meaning all the videogame stuff, plus the scripts for the two movies, even the stuff I wasn't in. I became kind of like the "encyclopedia" for some of the other cast members, because I memorized all this stuff. Shows you what kind of life I have, right? Too much time on my hands. But the physical stuff, the fighting and the action, that wasn't my problem. For that, you're talking about guys like Keanu and Hugo, and Fish and Carrie-Anne. Those guys busted their collective asses for two-and-a-half years! I mean, I can remember days when we were shooting in San Francisco, and I'd be putting my feet up having a grand ol' time making the videogame, and then you'd see Keanu getting carried -- literally carried -- to a little kiddies wading pool that they'd filled with ice. He'd lie down in it and they'd smother him in more ice, the poor bastard was so wrecked from the fight scenes he was shooting. And believe me, Keanu Reeves is no wimp. He's a big guy, he was in great shape. But smashing the shit out of one hundred Agent Smith's day-in day-out can take its toll, I guess."

First, I'm impressed.
Impressed that Keanu and the rest of this cast gave these films everything they had, for such an amount of time.

But I'm also grateful.
Even though he'll never read this, I just want to say "thank you" to Keanu.
Thank you for being so committed to the vision of the brothers, and to the character of Neo. Thank you for working so hard to make things "superperfect" for us, the audience... the fans.

Thank you for working through the pain.

Thank you for being who you are.

I'm so proud and grateful to be a fan of yours, Mr. Reeves.

Thank you for everything.

I just realized that there's NO WAY I can enter the Zap2It Matrix Premiere contest because there is no way I could choose one person to take with me.

This gorgeous pic was published in a Tokyo magazine.
Go to 999.Squares (Miho's site) for the big version and more info.

The new Matrix Powerade smells just like NyQuil, but actually tastes pretty good.

I found them on sale at Smith's.

Heh, Smith's...get it?

OK, maybe I should have had coffee this morning.

Yeah, I watched the trailer. I'm weak!
I lasted what, 24 hours? Jeez, I've held out on chocolate and sex longer.
Much longer...*cough cough cough*

However....
SO WORTH IT. (and really not spoilery at all)

"I need you."

Can someone make me a .wav of that? I want to change every system sound I have to it.

OK, I'm really hoping pleased that the new trailer will be available on the official site by this weekend, because I much prefer downloading a file to tuning into Access Hollywood (tonight) or ::ugh:: arena football (this weekend)....

from thematrix.com

Launch dates:
Sooner than Friday in London; before Saturday in New York; way before Sunday in Sydney; significantly earlier than Monday in Tokyo. The rest of the world: between now and Tokyo.

What? Haha, those funny matrix web guys. (I'm still wondering who "steve" is. He's in the "alt" tags for a bunch of the animatrixesises .gifs. They think we don't notice that stuff, but they are oh-so-very wrong. Of course, it could just be the matrix messing with me. Excuse me while I adjust my tinfoil hat)

Ahem....

I hear it might be shown in the previews with Anger Management this weekend, which Roi wants to see, so maybe I'll catch it there. I'm not a huge Sandler fan, but there sure is something appealing about watching Jack beating the crap out of him for two hours.

Speaking of film lengths, Reloaded is going to be two hours and eighteen minutes long.

There's a Coca-Cola plant right down the street from me, I'm thinking I might storm the place looking for Matrix Powerade.

I wonder if it tastes like kung-fu?

-------Update:
OK, I guess the trailer has aired on a UK morning show and Dark Horizons has a description (thanks Jena!)
I think I'm going to try and avoid the trailer altogether, for spoilerish reasons.
I mean, now is the time when they turn it up a notch to entice the masses to go see this film so they are going to be revealing more.
Frankly I don't need the taunting. I can work myself into a Reloaded frenzy on my own.
I totally caved.

I just noticed on the Matrix OS, there is a new button and link to PROTECT.ORG.

Protect is a national pro-children, anti-crime membership association dedicated to providing political strength and leadership for the protection of abused, exploited, and neglected children. We are founded on the belief that our first and most sacred obligation as parents, citizens, and members of the human species is the protection of children from harm. We believe that this must be done with the same formidable resources and seriousness of purpose with which we defend our other vital interests, whether financial, constitutional or ideological.

Kudos to Andy and Larry Wachowski for their interest and involvement on the PROTECT National Advisory Board.

I have to read more about this organization, but I'll keep protect.org in mind when deciding on a cause for this year's Blog-a-Thon...

OMG, go here! (cool theatrical poster pic - Trinity)

and then and then and then GO HERE!!!! (another one - Neo!)

Holy crap, these rock.

*squeal*

Thanks to C.C. for the tip!
And I totally want to kiss Garth square on the mouth.

There were some rapid-fire glimpses of Reloaded footage on Entertainment Tonight last night, and a whole new trailer will be aired next thursday on a couple different entertainment programs.

Some sexy screen grabs from the segment can be found at Club-Keanu.

Working that R-rating I see....

And from the NY post:

'ACCESS Hollywood" will show the first scenes from "The Matrix Reloaded" trailer beginning Monday - with the entire trailer airing on Thursday's show.
This will be the first time viewers will able to see scenes from the sequel to "The Matrix," starring Keanu Reeves, who's also in "Reloaded" with Laurence Fishburne.

The "Reloaded" trailer hits theaters on Friday along with the new Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson movie, "Anger Management."

I imagine that the new trailer will be available on the official site late Thursday evening as well.

One more thing-
the Animatrix short: Detective Story is now up.

from various sources via Google News:

The futuristic sci-fi sequel The Matrix Reloaded will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where its filmmakers and stars will sashay down the red carpet.

The second film in the Matrix thriller trilogy, Reloaded will be shown out-of-competition May 15, the second day of the festival, which runs until May 25. Actors Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss reprise their roles from The Matrix, a powerhouse action film released in 1999.

Jada Pinkett Smith joins the cast for the second edition, which is, like the first, written and directed by brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski.

The film will be released internationally following the festival.

The final film in the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is expected to be released later in 2003. The original Matrix won four Academy Awards and grossed over $460 million US in the worldwide box office.

The world's best known film festival, in its 56th year, serves as a launching pad for movies that are shown out of competition.

Each May, independent and big-budget movies compete in several categories for recognition and the coveted grand prize, the Golden Palm.

I sure wish Joel would stop toying with me, I need to know if I have to get fresh passport photos taken.

According to TLFC, the Matrix Trading cards are not going to be produced after all.

Fine with me, less crap to buy that I can't afford anyway.
And it just increases my respect for this franchise to know that they made this choice rather than to license something not up to standard.

MatrixFans.net has a bit of an upcoming interview/article in Empire mag about...

...gasp! Sexuality and The Matrix

Read the MatrixFans report here, the full article will be in the April 25 issue of Empire.

"Despite Laurence Fishburne's claims that "People don't have sex in the Matrix." Joel Silver confirmed Empire's belief that getting jiggy is one of the few advantages of living in a world where anything is physically possible. But as one half of the trilogy's hottest couple, Carrie Anne Moss is the one to deliver the verdict. So who really floats her boat; Neo with his slick good looks, superhuman powers and expensive wardrobe or his alter ego Thomas Anderson with his distressed knitwear, pasty complexion and unsightly hole in the back of his skull?"

Who wouldn't want to boink Neo?
After all, "he's a machine".
Although I wouldn't kick Thomas Anderson out of bed for sniffing packets, either.

And speaking of sexy - Joel Silver - talks about Final Flight of the Osiris with SciFi.com here

(shout outs: club-keanu and keanuweb)

This spiffy Reloaded poster is available now through allposters.com (please shop through an affiliate, thx), and the new theatrical posters are already hitting eBay.
Go read about and see that one over at TLFC.

I'm still waiting on the first holographic teaser poster I bought to be framed as it is, and thankfully I'm not so ga-ga over this second one.

Well, it took uninstalling my quicktime and downloading a fresh version 6, but I managed to get the new lengthy Animatrix trailer.

Totally worth it.

Some of you might be interested in the fact that Keanu does some voice work on one of the shorts - "Kid's Story".
And Carrie-Ann works as an animated Trinity in "Detective Story" as well.

The Animatrix DVD can be pre-ordered at Amazon. Please get there through your favorite affiliate link.

In other Matrix News, the evil that is Samsung continues to mock me.

MatrixFans reports on another set of Matrix action figures, prototypes shown at Action-Figure.com.

I really like the look of the flow of the coat (if that makes any sense), I think his head seems a little small (might be the angle), and while it might not show up once the black paint is applied, there is a disturbing glimmer illusion of man-boobie going on.
Um.....ew.

I think a little more exaggeration of The One's package would be nice as well, but that's just me.

In other Matrix News, The Last Free City reports that there is a new Animatrix trailer to be found at the Official Site.
I'll be trying to download that once I go home tonight, hopefully I'll have better luck than with "Program". I never could get my sound to work on that one.

Oy.

Sigh.

I'm leaning toward a chocolate covered cricket, unless someone wants to buy me one of these.

If this is really the new Samsung Matrix phone?

I'll eat a bug.

There's no way. It's a monstrosity, and I can only imagine the poor blind, retarded and obviously insane designer is getting their revenge after being laughed out of the Samsung cafeteria by leaking these pictures.

Please.
These are Samsung phones.

If that is really "the matrix phone", Samsung is committing some sort of bizarre corporate hari-kari.

It's been reported that The Matrix Reloaded will be released on May 15 worldwide in an effort to avoid piracy.

However, that might not be good enough.

Keanuweb's Merlin has a bit of an exposé about a possible MPAA leak. Go read it.

Kudos to Merlin for bringing attention to this.

I imagine that it's not as easy as the MF forum poster makes it sound, and I'd be willing to bet that if somehow illegal copies were made, that they would be easily traceable to the source.

But hey, maybe impressing your girlfriend's brother's friend's friend is worth your career and a whole world of shit...

(can you imagine? I'll bet they genetically breed special lawyers for this type of thing down in the Warner Brothers Labs.)

One more thing to add to your shopping list, Matrix Trading Cards will be available come May (via MatrixFans.net).
CHUD has an interview with my boyfriend Joel Silver.
There's an article here on Reloaded/Revolutions as well (via 999.squares). There's a few spoilerific parts in that one, so consider yourself alerted. There's one thing regarding the end of Reloaded that I'm actually glad to know ahead of time. That's all I will say.

I may be spooky but I'm no fool.
Somebody's listening to the voice of reason.
Even if it does sound a whole lot like squawking.

from thedigitalbits.com My Two Cents column via The Last Free City

Well... we've finally heard back from Warner Brothers. The Matrix: Special Edition, which had been set for release on 4/29, has been officially cancelled. Here's the studio's statement:

"Warner Home Video will not be releasing the previously announced The Matrix Special Edition double-disc DVD. In a shift in strategy to broaden The Matrix fan base prior to the May 15 theatrical release of the highly anticipated sequel The Matrix Reloaded, Warner Home Video will reprice The Matrix DVD to $19.99 SRP on April 29.

Also on April 29, WHV will reprice the two-pack of The Matrix and The Matrix Revisited - the complete, behind-the-scenes two-hour companion to The Matrix phenomenon - to a new low price of $34.99 SRP."

There's no official reason given as to why this SE was cancelled. Consider this next bit Rumor Mill-category information, but we've been hearing word that the Wachowski Brothers themselves decided to pull the plug, opting instead to revisit the title as a completely new special edition from the ground up at some point in the future. If we can confirm anything else with regard to this title, we'll let you know.

Stay tuned...

This certainly gives me hope for the soul of The Matrix franchise.

I've been fortunate enough to receive a copy of the new book, Taking The Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix and I'm really enjoying it so far. It's an outstanding collection of essays inspired by and looking deeper into the questions raised by The Matrix. From "Glitches in The Matrix and How to Fix Them" - which addresses directly those nagging "people as an energy source?" and " what's the deal with needing a phone line?" questions that message-boarders everywhere have squawked about - to "The Human-Machine Merger: Are We Headed for The Matrix?" - that uses The Matrix as a starting point to look at the technology of the future and how close we really are to being able to be "plugged-in"- each contributor does an amazing job of taking the reader through the looking glass and deeper down the rabbit hole.

Even a dumb bunny like me.

(I shall continue to blame poor translation for the fact that I am still hovering around page 54 of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation I got nearly a year ago. The only time I made any progress was while waiting at the mechanic's and even then I ended up staring at the thing with some sort of buzz/hum in my ears that eventually segued into a local window-tint company's theme song. I can't explain it.)

Each chapter/essay in Taking The Red Pill is amazingly thought-provoking yet completely understandable and easy to comprehend. I've only read a few of them so far and already I can't decide if I want to go and become a complete luddite or be first in line to have the nanobot wireless processors delivered directly into my brain stem. I'm also looking at my concept of "reality" a little deeper and eyeing my genes with suspicion.

Glenn Yeffeth, the editor, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:

kv: Were you a fan of The Matrix before you began work on the book? If so, what do you remember thinking as you walked out of the theater after the first time?

GY: I was a big fan of The Matrix since it first came out, that's where the idea for the book came from. I loved the movie the first time I saw it, but I have to admit something bugged me. The computers were powered by energy from human beings...this made no sense (because it takes more energy to feed people than they can possibly produce; this is basic physics). Being a hard core science fiction reader, this sort of thing bugs me. Next time I saw it I noticed that Morpheus says "combined with a new type of fusion" which gave them an out. I wasn't the only person who noticed this; three of our essay writers come up with explanations (all different) for why people are really in The Matrix.

kv: Do you think that the second and third parts of The Matrix Trilogy will answer the underlying questions introduced in The Matrix, or will they just take us "deeper into the rabbit hole" and let us wonder for ourselves?

GY:I can't wait to find out...my hope is that they continue raising fascinating questions without ending with a weak attempt to keep the mystery going (i.e. the rebels are also in some layer of The Matrix, a la Thirteenth Floor). I don't expect this - I trust the Wachowski's to do something great for us in these next two films.

kv: Who were some of the contributors to Taking the Red Pill, and did any of them have conflicting opinions of philosophy or symbolism of The Matrix?

GY:Lots of conflicting opinions, and in fact we have two pairs of debating essays. One pair debates whether The Matrix is a postmodernist masterpiece or a mindless action flick with a veneer of intellectualism. Another pair debates whether we are headed towards a world of technological wonders or a Matrix-like dystopia.

The contributors are quite a distinguished group.
(The list is in the extended entry --krix)

kv: Do you have a favorite essay in the book?

GY: I couldn't possibly pick one. Schuchardt's essay "What is the Matrix?" is an awesome overview. Kurzweil's essay is truly mind-blowing. Bostrom's essay is amazing...he makes some basic assumptions and reaches an incredible conclusion. I could go on and on.

kv: Does one have to have a background in philosophy, science or religion to understand Taking the Red Pill?

GY: Absolutely not, it's been carefully edited to be non-academic and fun for the general fan.

kv: Do you believe we all could be "living in a matrix"?

GY:It's impossible to read this book and not realize that we could be living in a matrix of some sort. So, yes I do believe we could be "living in a matrix." Do I believe like Neo believed at the end of the movie?...not yet.

As Mr. Yeffeth puts it:
"This is a book by fans, for fans, but it just so happens that fans of The Matrix include some of the leading thinkers on the planet."

Taking the Red Pill truly is "academic without over-intellectuallizing".
Even if you don't think you have an interest in religion, philosophy or science, these essays will spark something and will help you to enjoy The Matrix (and the upcoming films) on a whole other level, beyond the unbearable hotness of Neo (or Trinity) and the mind-blowing fight scenes and effects.

Plus, it will "free your mind" on a much broader scale as well.

Contributing Authors to Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix

Peter J. Boettke is an economics professor at George Mason University and the author of several books on the history, collapse, and transition from socialism in the former Soviet Union. His most recent books are Calculation and Coordination (Routledge, London, 2001) and The Economic Way of Thinking (Prentice Hall, 2002). Before joining the faculty at GMU, Boettke taught at New York University and was a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University. Boettke earned his Ph.D. at George Mason University and his B.A. at Grove City College.

Dr. Nick Bostrom is a philosopher at Yale University. He founded the World Transhumanist Association in 1998 (with David Pearce) and is a frequent spokesperson and commentator in the media. Bostrom's research interests are in philosophy of science, probability theory, and the ethical and strategic implications of anticipated technologies (including AI, nanotech, genetics, etc.). He has a background in cosmology, computational neuroscience, mathematical logic, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and stand-up comedy, and is the author of the book Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Routledge, New York, 2002).

Dino Felluga is a professor in the department of English at Purdue University, West Lafayette. His first book, The Perversity of Poetry: Romantic Ideology and the Popular Male Poet of Genius is forthcoming from SUNY Press. He is currently working on expanding a Web site (with accompanying book) that introduces critical theory to students and scholars by way of popular culture.

Paul Fontana graduated from Colby College in 1996 with honors in philosophy. This essay was written while he was studying the New Testament at Harvard Divinity School. He currently lives in New York City.

James L. Ford is an assistant professor of East Asian religions in the department of religion at Wake Forest University, North Carolina. He earned an M.A. in 1996 and Ph.D. in 1998 in East Asian religions from Princeton University. Dr. Ford's primary research centers on medieval Japanese Buddhism and he recently completed a manuscript titled Boundless Devotion: Jòkei (1155-1213) and the Discourse of Kamakura Buddhism. At present, he is executive secretary for the Society for the Study of Japanese Religion and serves on the steering committee for the Japanese Religions Group of the American Academy of Religion.

Andrew Gordon is associate professor of English and director of the Institute for the Psychological Study of the Arts (IPSA) at the University of Florida. He has been a Fulbright lecturer in American literature in Spain, Portugal, and Serbia, and a visiting professor in Hungary and Russia. He teaches contemporary American fiction, Jewish-American fiction, and science-fiction literature and film. His publications include An American Dreamer: A Psychoanalytic Study of the Fiction of Norman Mailer; Psychoanalyses/Feminisms (coedited with Peter L. Rudnytsky); and Screen Saviors: Hollywood Fictions of Whiteness (coauthored with Hernan Vera; the book discusses many films, including the science fiction or fantasy films Raiders of the Lost Ark , Men in Black, and The Matrix). He has written numerous essays on science fiction and science-fiction film, including the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Zemeckis, in Science-Fiction Studies and other journals.

James Gunn is both a writer and a teacher of science fiction. His first story was published in 1949; since then he has published 99 stories and 38 books, including The Joy Makers, The Listeners, Kampus, The Dreamers, and The Immortals, which became a 1969 TV film The Immortal and a 1970-71 TV series. He taught for forty years at the University of Kansas, where he still teaches a summer course in science fiction as emeritus professor of English. He has served as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America and of the Science Fiction Research Association, and has won the Hugo Award, the Pilgrim Award, and the Eaton Award. Among his academic books are Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction; Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of
Science Fiction; The Science of Science-Fiction Writing; and the six-volume historical anthology The Road to Science Fiction.

Robin Hanson is an assistant professor of economics at George Mason University. In 1998 Robin received his Ph.D. in social science from the California Institute of Technology, and then served as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation health policy scholar at the University of California at Berkeley. Earlier he received a master's in physics and a master's in the philosophy of science from the University of Chicago, and spent nine years researching artificial intelligence, Bayesian statistics, and hypertext publishing at Lockheed, NASA, and independently. Robin's work has appeared in several publications, including CATO Journal, International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Journal of Evolution and Technology, Social Philosophy and Policy, and Theory and Decision.

Bill Joy is a co-founder, Chief Scientist and Corporate Executive Officer of Sun Microsystems and has played a critical role in the development of a number of critical technologies, including Jini and Java. In 1997 he was appointed Co-Chairman of the Presidential Information Technology Advisory Committee. His many contributions were recognized by a cover story in Fortune Magazine, which called him the "Edison of the Internet."

Ray Kurzweil, inventor and technologist. Mr. Kurzweil created the first reading machine for the blind and is responsible for many other technology firsts. He has founded and built nine highly successful technology companies and is the best-selling author of The Age of Spiritual Machines (Viking, 1999). Mr. Kurzweil has received eleven honorary doctorates and numerous awards, including the 1999 National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor in technology, and the $500,000 MIT-Lemelson Prize for Invention and Innovation.

Peter B. Lloyd graduated in mathematics at Cardiff University, Wales, where he stayed on to carry out research in solar engineering. He later worked as a software developer in the ISIS medical research group in the University of Oxford, where he expanded his interest in philosophy by studying under Dr. Michael Lockwood at the Oxford University department for external studies. Since 1994 he has worked as a freelance software developer. He has maintained an active presence in the Journal of Consciousness Studies Online, and has self-published two books on the nature of consciousness. He lives in London, England, with his wife, Deborah Marshall-Warren, a leading figure in hypnotherapy.

Robert J. Sawyer, called "just about the best science fiction writer out there" by The Denver Rocky Mountain News and the leader of sci-fi's next-generation pack by Barnes and Noble, frequently writes science fiction about artificial intelligence, most notably in his Aurora Award-winning novel Golden Fleece (named the best sci-fi novel of the year by critic Orson Scott Card in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction); The Terminal Experiment (winner of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Nebula Award for Best Novel of the Year); the Hugo Award-nominated Factoring Humanity; the Hugo Award-nominated Calculating God (which hit #1 on the best-seller list published by
Locus, the trade journal of the sci-fi field); and his just-released thirteenth novel, Hominids, which deals with the quantum-mechanical origin of consciousness. According to Reuters, he was the first sci-fi author to have a Web site; for more information on Rob and his work, visit that extensive site at www.sfwriter.com.

Read Mercer Schuchardt is assistant professor of media studies at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. He is the contributing editor on media and culture for Regeneration Quarterly magazine, founder of CLEAVE: The Counter Agency (www.cleave.com) and the publisher of Metaphilm (www.metaphilm.com), a film interpretation website. In 2003, Spence Publishing will release his first two books, Metaphilm: Seers of the Silver Screen and The Disappearance of Women: Technology, Pornography, and the Obsolescence of Gender. He and his wife home-school their five children in Jersey City, New Jersey. He can be reached at read@cleave.com.

Lyle Zynda received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1995. After spending a year teaching at Caltech, he took up his current position in the philosophy department at Indiana University South Bend (IUSB), where he is now associate professor. Dr. Zynda specializes in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, epistemology, metaphysics, and logic. He has published articles in internationally renowned journals such as Synthese, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophical Studies. He also periodically teaches a course at IUSB called "Philosophy, Science, and Science Fiction."

(update: as per a request, the pop-up image is now a wallpaper)

Thank you to the Pic-of-the-Day Club for the original of this full length scan from an Aussie newspaper.

As always, keep your eye on thelastfreecity.com, matrixfans.net and of course, The Matrix official site for news and hype.

I finally got around to downloading and watching the first of the web released Animatrix shorts: The Second Renaissance Part 1.

As of right now, I'm rooting for the machines.

I just realized that not only does my fabulous city still have one of the last operational drive-in theaters in the country, but they still show current releases.

If Reloaded plays there, I'm thinking tailgate party.
Big HONKING tailgate gala - with giant sandwiches and coolers.
Maybe the second weekend after release.

Of course, you're all invited.

From E!online:
Carrie-Anne Moss: "Matrix" Mommy

by Lia Haberman

"No word if the Oracle predicted this one, but Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss has revealed she's in the family way.

It's a first child for Moss and her hubby, fellow thespian Steven Roy, confirms the actress' publicist Jennifer Allen, telling E! Online Moss, "feels amazing. She and her husband can't be more thrilled."

Moss, 35, is due in early fall, Allen says. No other details were released.

The Canadian couple were married in 1999 and live in Beverly Hills, California.

Moss has spent most of the last two years shooting the Matrix sequels in Sydney, Australia, where Roy traveled to propose to the super-svelte action star. Shooting on the mind-bending sci-fi sequels wrapped in August 2002.

The Vancouver-born actress broke into Hollywood a decade ago with a role on Models Inc., Aaron Spelling's 1994 primetime paean to pretty faces. The series was canceled after one season, and Moss made the guest-star rounds of small-screen sci-fi shows such as FX: The Series and Spider-Man.

Then came a star-making turn as Trinity, Neo's tough-as-nails love interest, in 1999's The Matrix. Memorable roles followed in Memento and Chocolat and the not-so-memorable Red Planet. Next up, Moss escapes the sci-fi mold with a role in a modern-day thriller Suspect Zero with Aaron Eckhart. The movie's drop date (October 24) roughly coincides with Moss' delivery date.

Meanwhile, the much-hyped deliveries fans are waiting for: The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions are slated for release May 15 and November 7, respectively. "

Thanks to Jena for the article link.

And speaking of impending bundles of joy, my friend and webhost, Jennifer is due to give birth any minute now! (She was due the 17th)

Congrats to her and to Carrie-Ann :)

Can you believe there's only 85 days left until the release of Reloaded?
Time sure flies...
There's a little article here, no real new information, but at least Joel doesn't mention "the bar". Guess someone must have forwarded him my memo.

There's a cute little satirical article at bbspot that you might get a giggle out of.

Also, I really would like to see "Neo: The Musical. Sounds like a load of fun.

Ahem, I assure you that I need these....

I knew that the MacFarlane Matrix figures were going to be cool, I just didn't know how cool.

I have to give a compliment to the special effect smoke in the presentation, nice...
I wonder if I can get the same effect by setting mine up next to the ashtray?

Now these, I will throw money at. Foolish fangirl consumer that I am.

There's an article here as well.

Thanks to Rhonda, and KeanuWeb for the heads up.

Attn.,

First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and "top secret". We are top agents of the Collective Sentient Data Review Panel who are interested in importation of information into our system with bytes that are presently trapped in The Matrix. In order to commence this business, we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into your construct the said-trapped bytes.

The source of the information is as follows: During the regime of the last prototypical transitional version 2.6 of Agent John Smith, A.I. representatives set up protocols and awarded themselves access to information which was grossly overlinked in various databases. The present Version 3.0 of Agent John Smith set up the Collective Sentient Data Review Panel and we have identified a lot of inflated data bytes that are presently floating in the Central Server of The Matrix ready for download.

However, by virtue of our position as artificial intelligence and members of this panel, we cannot acquire these bytes in our names. I have therefore been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues in the panel, to look for a real world partner into whose construct we would transfer the sum of 31,320,000 (Thirty-One Million, Three Hundred and Twenty thousand) terabytes in which we hope to use in a mass file-sharing and email forward, and to enable us to waste even more time looking at porn. Hence, we are sending you this email message. We have agreed to share the bandwidth thus:

1. 20% for the construct owner (you)
2. 70% for us (the agents of the CSDRP)
3. 10% to be used in uploading cute little kitten pictures.

Due to our poor Telecommunication system and for purpose of strict
confidentiality you are to respond by e-mail to:
Agent@spamthematrix.net

Please acknowledge receipt of this message for
proper briefing on the safe modality for the execution.

Yours faithfully,
Agent 100011100011100 [ENCRYPTED]

NOTE: PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE PASSWORD (BYTE ME) IN ALL YOUR REPONSE

it's time to bare my soul, Joel
there's something you should know
your unrequited love takes its toll
Joel
with you...I am smitten

alas! what can I do
I love you
I loved Xanadu, too
it's true!

how I ache to hear
you whisper sweet nothings in my ear
like "come to the premiere, my dear..."
(oh look! a little tear...::sniff::)
you can even call me "kitten"
if you'd like

~With apologies to the People's Poet

"Neo" (to the tune of Duran Duran's "Rio")

Looking at the code now babe now you know there is no spoon
Come and free my mind, and we'll be in Zion soon
With a kick to your left and a flip to the right you catch that agent on the run
You know you're something special and you look like you're The One

His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream

I've seen you in the air and I've seen you on the screen
Two of a billion pods it means so much to me
Like a copper top or a squiddie view
But then I'm sure that you know it's up to you

His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream

Hey now - woo! - look at that, did he nearly gun you down
At the end of the drive the agents arrive
You make me feel alive, alive alive
I'll take my chance, I'm taking that red pill
The Matrix has you, they know what you're thinking
The Matrix has you, they know what you're thinking

His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream

His name is Neo and the truth is what he sees
The One who knows kung-fu and makes the bullets freeze
And when he fights, he really shows his expertise
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from my dreams

~Do do do do do dooooo
~do do do do do dooo
~do do do do do dooooo.......

Well, if the coverage of the Enter the Matrix release is any type of indication, the Reloaded/Revolutions movie releases are going to be freaking insane.

MTV, USA Today and CNN all have stories.
There's an incredible amount of pictures out there. All of Mr. Reeves and his spiffy beanie. All sorts of pics and links to more pics can be found at Club-Keanu and Keanuette's blog, and Keanuweb has a nice page going on, as well.

This doesn't look like fun at all, does it?

All part of the job though, and good for him. I'm sure it was a fun night. Joel throws the best parties.
There are actually pictures of him smiling in the links above :)

I guess when Keanu was asked about playing video games he responded with
"I don't actually, I'm an old school cat, I play pinball."
Color me unsuprised.

Update:
Video Clip!

(via Keanuette)

If I left RIGHT NOW, I might be able to make it in time to crash this party.

But 24 is on tonight.

So, you know....screw it.

Today is the day that The Second Renaissance: Part One is available to download at the Official Site.

"The segment is directed by Mahiro Maeda, who directed the Japanese animated series Blue Submarine No. 6. Among other noted animé filmmakers involved are Koji Morimoto (Akira) and Peter Chung (creator of Aeon Flux)."

source:USA Today (there's actually a whole article there that you might want to check out)

Also at the new Animatrix pages are gallery shots and info on ALL the upcoming animé shorts that will be coming to the OS. The picture at the top is from "Detective Story", which visually so far, looks like it's going to be my favorite.

Paul M. wrote me with this query:

"Can you please recommend any Keanu sites / web pages offering eloquent quotations (or even fan poetry) pertaining to what makes the Neo character so appealling and unique?"

I couldn't think of any specific web pages to direct him to (though I did suggest he check out some Matrix message boards), but I told him I would pose this question you you, dear readers....

What is it about Neo?

To get the ball rolling, here's a few things off the top of my head.

There's the pure graceful physicality that Mr. reeves brought to the role. I can't imagine anyone else as Neo in that regard.

As far as character aspects go, I think there's a humilty to Neo that makes him stand apart from your everyday "hero". He's a badass not for badassedness' sake, but to save Morpheus and Trinity and by the end of the first film, all those still enslaved in The Matrix.

Also, since his "superpowers" aren't really to do with physical strength, but rather an understanding of how The Matrix works, I think Neo is sort of a symbol for the power of the mind.

He's a former loner computer geek that saves the day and gets the girl, all without technically leaving his chair.

You gotta love him.

There's a bit on the Matrix in February's Empire mag, thanks to Wrygrass for scanning the pic and sharing the article, where my ex-boyfriend Joel gets a little snarky.

"Without naming names, Matrix producer Joel Silver freely admits that in the past he has overseen some pre-packaged, formulaic and, let's face it, piss-poor sequels. "Usually, we've made something out of something that was never supposed to be there," Silver admits, "and sometimes they work better than others. But they were never meant to be, they were just sort of willed into existence," However, Silver is keen to point out that The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are different. For starters, the mysterious (they never give interviews) Wachowski siblings always perceived Neo's adventures as a trilogy, so these films are not 'sequels' in the traditional sense. "This story did exist," Silver says, "and the purpose of the first movie was to set up a world and a situation which would allow the characters to live so the story could continue." That said, it was only when those first weekend grosses ($28 million in the US) were counted that Warners would even listen to sequel pitches. "We didn't know that it would continue, we just hoped it would," Silver says, keen to point out that the $63 million-budgeted first movie was a surprise smash. "Actually, the first script ended further on than the first movie ended - you actually went to Zion, which we really felt we just couldn't do [on the budget]."A 250-day, back-to-back shoot in Sydney and an estimated $300 million budget proves that this time, Silver and the boys have all the money and toys they could ever want. And virtually the first thing the filmmakers demanded was the back-to-back releases - Reloaded in May, Revolutions in November - a release pattern that hasn't been attempted since Back To The Future Parts II and III, 14 years ago. "The boys felt they didn't want to wait [another] three years," Silver says simply. If you think of the next two installments as one movie cut in half - as both directors do - then the result is the first billion-dollar movie since Titanic."

Thanks to Natasha for mentioning it, I guess there is going to be a "Special Edition" Matrix DVD release at the end of April.

Of course there is. Viva la Marketing!

Here's what's in the set (thanks to matrixfans.net)

DISC ONE - ORIGINAL DVD FEATURE FILM

-- Commentary by star Carrie-Anne Moss, visual effects supervisor John Gaeta and editor Zach Staenberg (Not Keanu? Strike one)

-- "Making the Matrix": 26 eye-opening minutes of
behind-the-scenes insight (Wasn't this on MTV?)

-- Music-only track with commentary by composer Don Davis (Music only? what's the point?)

-- "Follow the White Rabbit": Interactive feature jumps from a scene to a featurette on the effects that shaped the scene; nine "White Rabbit" featurettes in all (stuff like this bugs. You have to keep looking for the damn bunny)

-- Take the Red Pill to two hidden special effects documentaries: "What Is the Concept?", a dazzling musical-montage journey from sketch to final effect; and "What Is Bullet Time?", the anatomy of the trailblazing technique (been there, done that)

-- Filmographies (imdb.com)

-- Widescreen presentation (don't get me started)

-- Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio (my TV is old and sucks, this means nothing to me)

-- DVD/ROM features galore: (note! these are only for playing it on your computer)

-- Interactive screenplay - read the script as you view comparative storyboards, stills and clips (this sounds like work to me)

-- "Are You the One?" interactive challenge (if you're not sure? You probaly aren't)

-- Seven special genre essays and articles - "From Strip to Screen" explores comic books on film; martial-arts movie featurette "Everybody Loves Kung-Fu Fighting!"; a sci-fi film retrospective and more (lots of interesting philosophical essays on the website. "Retrospectives" make krix go 'ugh')

-- Link to original theatrical website (um...hello? www.thematrix.com)

DISC TWO - ORIGINAL "MATRIX REVISITED" DVD PLUS NEW BONUS
MATERIALS

-- "Preload: On the Set of Reloaded": Exclusive behind-the-scenes preview of the May 15 theatrical release "The Matrix Reloaded" (I've spent many month trying to avoid being spoiled for this, I'm not going to pay for the privilege)

-- Two mind-blowing episodes from "The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, Parts 1&2" (will be found here)

-- Marilyn Manson music video - "Rock is Dead" (barf)

-- "What is the game?": teaser for the new "Enter the Matrix" videogame (teasers for games? what's the world coming to?)

-- Thematrix.com: theatrical website preview (preview? wow, I think it's done ready for viewing)

-- "The Matrix Revisited": the complete, behind-the-scenes two-hour companion piece to "The Matrix" phenomenon (seen it)

-- Six behind-the-scenes featurettes on "The Matrix" (Ooooh! featurettes is such a cute word! bah.)

-- The Music Revisited: sample up to three hours worth of audio music tracks of the music from the world of "The Matrix" (I don't have time to listen to the music I already own. Plus I think this is already on Revisited)

-- The Art Revisited: multiple stills galleries with over 800 images (funny thing about movies...they move. Who wants to watch a slideshow? Buy the book.)

-- "The Animatrix" preview (check the website)

-- Theatrical trailers/teasers/TV spots (ditto)

Spiffy.

I doubt I'll be buying it, but go nuts. I'm holding out until 2004, when the big end-all be-all boxed set with all three films, Revisited, Animatrix and Wachowski-freaking-home-movies all packaged in a holographic foil-wrapped scale model of an embryo pod with a sound chip that says "I know kung-fu!" everytime you open it.

I'm sure I'll be buying the Reloaded and Revolutions DVDs when they come out, because the most agonizing time is that span between when the movie leaves the theaters and it's available for home viewing. I spent WAY too much on video copies of The Gift and Hardball because I didn't have a DVD player but wanted to see them. In fact, for what I paid, I pretty much could have gotten a player at the time. I'm dumb that way sometimes.

I guess I'm just not as enamored with DVDs as I should be. I've been disappointed in a lot of "extras". Have you noticed that most of the time, the audio on "deleted scenes" sucks? That was the only reason I bought a DA disc and I was almost pissed.
I've tried watching DVDs with the commentary feature on.....drove me nuts. I don't like that shit in the theater, why should I want someone going on and distracting me in my own home? Shut up already, and let me enjoy the film.
Behind-the-Scenes and "Making of..." is interesting, to a point. But really...Movies are Magic. And when you know how the CGI was done and where to look for the wires and all that, it takes a little of that magic away.
Part of me doesn't want that.

Now I sure hope it doesn't make me any less of a fan, that I resist throwing money at every carrot that this franchise waves in front of me (mix metaphors much, krix?), but good grief, if I did I'd be as orange as an oompa-loompa by now. *OH! free idea, marketing people! These DVDs need FIVE GOLDEN TICKETS to the premiere. Then I'd buy one.*

I will say, if you don't already have Revisited and you don't plan on going to the official site and checking out The Animatrix stuff ("The Second
Renaissance, Parts 1&2" extra? Available on the net soon), and you love sitting there with your forty-leven button remote looking for "easter eggs" and you have an awesome home theater system that will make the music tracks sound like Don Davis is waving his baton from your couch, buy this.

Buy it and I'll come over and watch it with you, I'll even bring the beer.

It's less than thirty bucks and hell, you get a free movie ticket with it.
I'm saving my money for popcorn and raisinettes on the 15th.

First off, if anyone who reads here actually knows Mr. Reeves, please please please, let him know about William Gibson's blog .
Send him the link, or print it out if you have to.

The most recent entry is a must read for the first part alone, but Mr. Gibson also also responds to a thread about The Matrix on his board.

"When I began to write NEUROMANCER, there was no "cyberpunk". THE MATRIX is arguably the ultimate "cyberpunk" artifact. Or will be, if the sequels don't blow. I hope they don't, and somehow have a hunch they won't, but I'm glad I'm not the one who has to worry about it. "

William Gibson is also getting ready to start the tour for Pattern Recognition.

Of course there's no way he'll come to Vegas, literary wasteland that it is.

Explosive Prelude to "The Matrix Reloaded" to Accompany "Dreamcatcher" Theatrical Release

Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' groundbreaking short film "The Final Flight of the Osiris" will accompany the worldwide theatrical release of Castle Rock Entertainment's and Village Roadshow Pictures' supernatural thriller "Dreamcatcher," opening nationwide on March 21.
Inspired by the visionary action and innovative storytelling that power "The Matrix," "The Final Flight of the Osiris" is a nine minute computer generated short that serves as an explosive prelude to "The Matrix Reloaded."
This spectacular fusion of CG-animation and Japanese anime is one of nine short films that comprise "The Animatrix," a collection of stunningly visual stories that delve further into the mind-bending world of The Matrix and the characters who inhabit it. The film series was conceived by the Wachowski Brothers, the creators of "The Matrix" trilogy, who wrote four of the nine "Animatrix" episodes including "The Final Flight of the Osiris." The collection also features the directing talents of the world's foremost anime filmmakers.

Warner Home Video and Village Roadshow Pictures will release "The Animatrix" worldwide on DVD and videocassette on June 3, between the theatrical release of the next two chapters in the "Matrix" trilogy: "The Matrix Reloaded," opening May 15; and "The Matrix Revolutions," coming to theaters in November 2003.
In addition, four of "The Animatrix" shorts will be streamed for free at www.theanimatrix.com prior to the collection's DVD and video release.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to offer fans unprecedented access to four of the `Animatrix' shorts prior to the DVD release," said Joel Silver, producer of `The Matrix' films. "The original content of the films and the clarity with which they will be streamed is truly extraordinary."
Beginning February 4, the following "Animatrix" episodes will be streamed free for fans:

-- "The Second Renaissance - Part 1" (Streaming February 4). Written by Larry and Andy Wachowski; Directed by Mahiro Maeda. This epic two-part story delves into the history of the war between mankind and the Machines and the genesis of The Matrix itself.
-- "Program" (Streaming in March). Written and Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. In the simulated world of a Samurai training program, a soldier of Zion is forced to choose between love and her comrades in the Real World.
-- "Detective Story" (Streaming in April). Written and Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Film noir meets anime in this story of a hard-boiled private eye who tracks cyber-criminal Trinity (voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss) through the looking glass.
-- "The Second Renaissance - Part 2" (Streaming in May). Written by Larry and Andy Wachowski; Directed by Mahiro Maeda. The dramatic conclusion of the story behind humanity's downfall and ultimate enslavement by the Machines.

"The Wachowski Brothers' vision for `The Matrix' is one that extends far beyond the theatrical trilogy, and the world they have created is so rich that we've chosen to tell these inter-connected `Matrix'-related stories in multiple mediums," Silver continued. "`The Animatrix' takes fans beyond the boundaries of the movie screen and into the vast realm of The Matrix, introducing them to new characters and scenarios that further the trilogy's mythology and amplify their cinematic experience. In particular, `The Final Flight of the Osiris' serves as chapter 1.5 in the `Matrix' trilogy, giving fans an electrifying ride though the events that occur following `The Matrix' and directly impact the story told in the video game `Enter the Matrix.' In turn, this chain of action sets off `The Matrix Reloaded.' It's not crucial that fans see `Final Flight' or play `Enter the Matrix' to enjoy `The Matrix Reloaded,' but their movie-going experience will be immeasurably enhanced and they will gain a deeper understanding of the world of The Matrix."
Written and developed The Wachowski Brothers, "Enter the Matrix" is due for release on May 15. One example of the connection between "Final Flight" and "Enter the Matrix" can be seen in the game when the character of Niobe, played in both mediums by Jada Pinkett Smith, must retrieve and relay information obtained by the crew of the Osiris to the rebel fleet or face extinction at the hands of the Machine Army.
"The Final Flight of the Osiris" is written by Larry and Andy Wachowski and directed by Andy Jones. Under attack from the Machine Army, the rebel warriors aboard the hovercraft Osiris attempt to send a vital message to the citizens of Zion, the last human city on Earth.
"We're extremely excited to have `The Final Flight of the Osiris' accompany our worldwide release of `Dreamcatcher,'" said Martin Shafer, CEO, Castle Rock Entertainment. "The film's highly stylized storytelling and explosive style are the perfect compliment to Lawrence Kasdan's supernatural thriller. And as fans of `The Matrix,' we're thrilled to give audiences their first theatrical glimpse at the events that shape the next two chapters in the trilogy."
"As a huge fan of `The Matrix,' I'm thrilled to have `Dreamcatcher' be the first place in the world for people to see `The Final Flight of the Osiris,'" said Lawrence Kasdan. "I've seen this incredibly seductive piece of storytelling and it ranks up there with the original film's groundbreaking invention."
In "Dreamcatcher," based on Stephen King's best-selling novel, four young friends perform a heroic act and are changed forever by the uncanny powers they gain in return. Years later, on a hunting trip in the Maine woods, they are overtaken by a blizzard, a vicious storm in which something much more ominous moves. Challenged to stop a deadly alien force, they confront an unparalleled horror, with the fate of the world in the balance. "Dreamcatcher" stars Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg. The film is directed by Lawrence Kasdan ("Body Heat," "The Big Chill," "Silverado," "Grand Canyon," "French Kiss"); the screenplay by Kasdan and Academy Award-winning writer William Goldman ("Misery," "All the President's Men," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid").
In "The Matrix Reloaded," freedom fighters Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind.
"Dreamcatcher" and "The Matrix Reloaded" will be distributed worldwide in 2003 by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

www.thematrix.com

www.theanimatrix.com

www.dreamcatchermovie.com

--source:Businesswire

There are already a bunch of screenshots of last night's trailer online, but here's some more anyway (click for larger view):

More captures can be found at thelastfreecity.com and keanua-z has a plethora as well.

FUCKING ROCKED.

update: You can should be able to view it at the official site.

another update: this makes me all creamy...

If you missed last night's Matrix coverage on ET or Access Hollywood, I believe you can head over to club-keanu for some video captures.

TheMatrixOnline.com is now TheLastFreeCity.com (or TLFC.net). The TMO domain was bought out by "the powers that be" to be used for the upcoming Matrix MMORPG. TheLastFreeCity.com (named for Zion) will have a new design (sneak peeks of the design look awesome!) and will move to a monthly subscription model for premium access/features.

I wish them the best of luck and have to say that this is one of very few sites that I would justify paying a subscription for.

More info can be found here.

DON'T go to some site with the word "Pacer" in it for matrix news. I suspect it's spoilerific since it looks like there's like a HUGE spoiler in the newsfeed summary!
Huge to me anyway.
I NEED a mind eraser!
fuck.

All this BEFORE my coffee, mind you...

Dear Joel, sweetheart:

I officially declare that:

"I really think that the bar has been raised so high that, you know, there is no bar."

...is done. Played. Fufilled its need as a lovely little soundbyte and should be sent packing to Boca on the next flight of the Neb.

Really.

If I hear it again I'm going to give you such a pinch.

All together now...
Elsinore Rocks.

This picture is from today's Variety. Thanks again to Elsinore for sending it out.

With just over 100 days until the release of Reloaded (with Revolutions following sometime in November), the buzz machine is going to be humming along with increasing intensity for these movies. With any other project I would be wary of the product not living up to the hype, but with The Matrix Trilogy, I think we are going to be blown away beyond our expectations.
Just the stills of the fight sequences alone are breathtaking. I can only imagine what it's going to be like, larger than life, in motion.

(The original, not that crappy Bizkit version)

Great, as if I didn't have enough to do, now I have to figure out how I'm going to infiltrate ShoWest.

If anyone has any industry connections, hook a girl up, eh?

(via KeanuWeb)

Also at KeanuWeb's trailers section is something you spoilerwhores should check out.
I haven't looked at it yet. And that's all I'm going to say.

updated: spoiler image in the extended entry...

OK fine. Every place I go today spoils for THIS particular image, so I might as well post it for swoonage's sake...

He's a damn fine film kisser.

I must go weep now.

Thanks to POTD.

Via Keanuweb:

The official site has posted some more photos for January, and they've nicely indexed the pictures for your browsing pleasure. I really like the VFX shot.

Only 121 more days....I can't wait for this movie.

Also from Keanuweb's newsdesk:

"Studio sources have confirmed to FilmJerk.com that a 30-second teaser for the next installment of "The Matrix" franchise will premiere at this year's Super Bowl."

Great. Now I have to watch a football game.

If you go to filmforce.ign.com - First Look:The Matrix Revolutions, you can see some nice hi-res versions of those recent Matrix press pictures.

Even the one where he's wet.

You're welcome....

Because if he did, a cute little courier in brown shorts and a backwards ball cap would have brought me my own Warner Brothers press kit with this picture.

I'm crushed, I say, crushed.
I was going to bring homemade cannolis to the premiere for you, Joel.
Now?
Not so much.

If anyone needs me, I'll be lounging on my chaise...Listening to Tony Bennett 45's and erasing the little heart-encircled "JS's" from the margins of my copy of Newsweek.

::sniff::

You can see a bigger version of this pic over at KeanuWeb along with the other recent still images.

And here's some Matrix links, via KeanuWeb...
ET online - Year of the Matrix
Counting Down - Clayton Watson
BBC-Movies to watch in 2003

Thanks to Jena

It's not on stands yet, (or it wasn't at the Borders I went to) but I might have a type-up for you later.

You will please to be noting that I SO CALLED the "year of the Matrix" thing on the calendar page.
I almost put it on the actual calendar but it was getting too gaudy as it was.

Whoa, I have periodical precognition.

UPDATE: Rhonda and Keanuette rock for sending me this link:

*SPOILERAGE***Consider yourself warned*

The Matrix Makers
One year, two sequels and a revolution in moviemaking. An exclusive look behind the scenes of 2003's hottest flicks. (click to read story)

Go now! there's groovy pictures.

Thanks Rhonda for the heads up about this little riddle posted yesterday over at theMatrix.com

December 21st, 2002-------------------------

In the spirit of the holidays, and on the Saturday before Christmas, we present a riddle:

What is not a trailer, or a forthcoming Animatrix episode, or the new poster, or a video preview of the multi-platform game Enter The Matrix, or even a site update, but will have everyone talking about THE MATRIX on Sunday, December 22nd?

The answer tomorrow. ["Which is now today" --krix]

TheMatrix.com

[daffy duck]"ooooh, I hate not knowing what it is![/daffy duck]

It can't be these, which I've already seen and decided that I do not want one.

I don't suppose I can cancel Christmas plans with my mother and brother to keep and eye on the breaking news page, eh?

Somebody call me if it's really good..
You know, something like:
"The Matrix.com has decided to give an all expense paid trip to the premiere and dinner and dancing with Keanu Reeves to one very lucky, kooky webmistress whose name starts with a 'k' and ends with and 'x'..."

I've never been much of a Hobbit-fancier.

I see that all sorts of people are going to see the new LOTR movie today.

Even Keanu went to the premiere (link via keanuette).
Me? I haven't read the books.....maybe once all three LOTR movies are out on DVD I'll watch the whole thing.
You go you crazy Frodo fans, you. Rock on. I'll be in the same mindset this May. I'm so pathetic, I'm starting to think about what I'll wear to opening day of Reloaded. Do I go with a PVC trinity look?...Probably too squeaky in the seats. I'm leaning toward a nice Neb/real world look....comfy cotton sweater...yoga pants...I think that's the way to go since I'll most likely be sitting in a theater half the day.

Of course, that's right out once I get my invite to the premiere at Mann's Chinese.
Call me, Warner Brothers, Wachowski Brothers, Mr. Silver.
Mr. Reeves, even....you know you want to.

I'll need to hear from you soon, as you see, there are wardrobe plans to be made.

The new photos that Morpheus promised us are up at TheMatrix.com

I'm so glad that the Matrix' web team is so on it. The hype is really going to start to gain momentum in the next few months and I can't wait to see what they come up with.

In other breaking news, Tesseract of KeanuSluts.com (GREAT name!) reports that A&E is doing a Biography program on Keanu next year.
So go check that and the rest of the KeanuSluts site out.

Also, Keanu was at the premiere of Sandra Bullock's new film with a very cute young lady the other night. You can see the photo and over at Yahoo news. Thanks to Margarete for that link.

I received an email update from TheMatrix.com today, CLICK HERE to read it.

Along with the updated philosophy section and Trinity Game, there is a new section of articles by The Matrix Crew.

Also they say we should be expecting some new photos soon.

There is a transcript of Keanu's MTV Movie House interview up at mtv.com. Plus, there's a little slideshow available with some Smith/Neo fight pictures. As always, he looks exquisite when captured in motion.

This is all slightly spoilerish for the purists out there, but I just couldn't stand it. I had to look, and thanks to Rhonda, I'll catch the interview on tape.
I believe that it may be replayed later tonight so if you missed it, you should check your listings.

Also, thematrixonline.com has some news, uncluding an update to the official site. A 68.2MB hi-res version of the teaser trailer is now available, and there's a new Trinity Game.

I don't have cable. Here is your assignment.
At 4:30 today Keanu is going to be on some new MTV show, Movie House, talking about The Matrix Reloaded. If anyone happens to catch it, please let us know in comments how it was. Thanksverymuch.

And here's Keanu's horoscope from FreeWillAstrology.com:

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The choice between seeking mere survival and stalking interesting success will be thrust in your face again and again in 2003, Virgo. I'm sure you're already getting a taste of the intensity. Here's my suggestion for what you can do to get yourself in good shape for it: Become very clear about your deep inner definition of success, as opposed to the
superficial, inappropriate, and deceptive definitions that various people have tried to foist on you over the years. Here's your future rallying cry: *Be your own genie in 2003.*

And although I don't usually post mine (I always read it, Breszny rocks) I'm going to this week, because I really want to heed it.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Expect the unexpected or you won't find it." That's an epigram formulated by the ancient Greek sage Heraclitus; it's also the name of a book by creativity expert Roger Von Oech; and now it's the centerpiece of your horoscope, Aries. As smart as you are, your steel-trap mind sometimes
closes prematurely. And you can't afford to let that happen now. Open your expectations as wide as they'll go. Be as fresh and innocent as you can stand to be. Make yourself fully available for the novel fun that's brewing at the frontiers of your world.

The Philosophy of The Matrix section over at the official site has been updated, along with a bunch of new desktops(wallpapers). They go all the way up to 1600x1200 resolution (who has a monitor that big? I want one) and include all the full version teaser pics as well as some abstract looks at some details of the set.

File this under "You never know who might be reading what you put on the web".

John Gaeta, yes the John Gaeta, posted recently to TheMatrixOnline's Zion Switchboard regarding Bullet Time. Here's an excerpt:

"This an email message from John Gaeta, VFX Supervisor for the Matrix Trilogy. For real. Every now and then I cruise the Matrix chat rooms to hear what you guys are interested in and how people are looking at the previous and future films. I decided to respond to this question because I see so many discussions which wonder what and who came first and all that stuff."

Head over to the Zion Switchboard to follow the thread.

This, of course, had me wondering just who might have read my Revisited recap. I have to stand by the bad hair thing, though. Sorry, J-Gae.
I have seen more recent pics, and his hair looks great.

Also, there's some great Matrix fan art and wallpapers to be found over at the Gallery, including this newest one of a cast lineup made by Yug...

Click the image to go to the full size wallpaper (sans text, which I added).

One last thing...the second wave of teaser posters are starting to pop up at eBay. I'm showing remarkable willpower, mostly fueled by the fact I have NO-FREAKING-WHERE to put them. Okay, maybe I have room for one.
I need to move to a bigger place.

I got The s!ms Art Studio from the official site today and tried my hand at making some decorative objects.

I did all of the Reloaded posters, you can download them on the downloads page.
I'm not thrilled by the choices of frames that Art Studio offers, but it will have to do for now. I'm going to do some Dogstar album covers and maybe some other movie posters next.
If anyone downloads them, please let me know how they work.

Just a little reminder that you can check The Matrix official site, TheMatrixOnline, and MatrixFans.net to keep up to date on news on Reloaded and Revolutions. I really haven't been seeking out news lately because it's all been so spoilerific.
It's all I can do in everyday life to avoid hearing something I don't want to.
Just the other night, I was talking to a guy at my brother's art show and the conversation flow chart went like this:
Art->Business->My incredibly boring job->Creative Pursuits->Computers->The Web->This Website->Keanu->The Matrix...

him: "Isn't the next one going to be coming out in.."
me: "May 15, 2003"
him: "Have you read the script? I hear Trinity's going to..."
me: (hands over ears) "LA-LA-LA-la-lalalalalala!" (walks away)

190 days of me being incredibly rude to strangers to go......

The full, uncropped versions of the set of 6 Matrix Teaser posters can be seen over at the official site.
Thanks to Rhonda for the tip.

Of course, it's lovely to see his whole face, but as far as visual impact goes, I think the cropped versions have much more.

In Dogstar news, Miho has added a really great report from the Osaka show over at her site, 999.squares.net.

Thanks to penelopez of KeanuSite for the tip that there are 6 new teaser posters out for The Matrix Reloaded, and they can be found at Ain't It Cool news...
or they could, rather if AICN's server wasn't taking a beating on that particular page.
They can be found at TheMatrixOnline or KeanuWeb.com, too.
The teaser posters live up to the "tease" part of the name, as they don't show you the whole face of the subject. They're really spiffy though, and I'd bet that they will be popping up on eBay before too long. All six would be a nice collection for all you hardcore Matrix buffs.

Of course, I simply had to make new wallpaper with the Neo one...

800 x 600

1024 x 768

And I want this outfit.

Save yourselves....

Matrix article at Empire online. *Spoilers*.Read at your own risk.

I haven't yet. Of course, that could change any minute. I'm weak!

Thanks to little miss spoiler enabler, Jena for link ;)

Dammit! When will I learn?- When someone gives you a spoiler warning in an email, fucking listen to them!
FUCK!

Well, share my misery, weaklings. You know you want to.

Rolling Stone article on the Matrix Trilogy with all kinds of spoilers!

Augggggh!

Via Reeves Drive and thanks to Jena

Gahhhh!

And yes, we're already talking about them in the comments of this post, too.
So.... spoiler warning-don't click the comments.

There are some images up at The Matrix official site.

We saw these a while back in Time magazine, but they certainly are worth looking at again.

Also, Jena rocks for typing out the latest article from SciFi mag. (Yes, I know I wasn't going to look, but I'm so very weak.)
It's a touch spoilerific, but read on if you'd like.

Sci-Fi
October 2002


RELOADED REVEALED
We Swallow a Little Red Pill for a Sneak Peek at The Matrix Reloaded.
By Patrick Lee

WHAT IS THE MATRIX? If you think you know, think again.
As principal photography ends in Australia on The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, the two upcoming sequels to the groundbreaking 1999 film The Matrix, Sci Fi Magazine got a first peek at the film's effects, stunts, sets, design and costumes.
The key word: more.
-Filmmakers built a one-and-a-half-mile stretch of freeway on an abandoned naval base in Alameda, Calif., for one massive stunt chase involving hundreds of vehicles, car-to-car foot pursuits, automatic weapons and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) on a motorcycle.
- Where the first movie had one principal nemesis--Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving)--Matrix Reloaded will have three: a resurrected Smith and a duo of assassins known simply as "The Twins." Dressed in matching white frock coats and blond dreadlocks, the pair will have the ability to pass through walls.
-The second movie will offer the first-ever glimpse of the human city of Zion. The underground habitation will feautre cliffside dellings stacked one atop another, like cells in a giant hive, with industrial fittings, red doors and tiny mushroom gardens out front. Viewers will also visit the massive city of the machines, about which no one is talking. By the third film, much of the action will occur not in the computer-generated 21st-century city that is The Matrix, but also in the so-called Real World, 800 years from now.
- In the Real World, the audience will reboard the Nebuchadnezzar, the hover craft skippered by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). But they will also board at least four other ships, including the Mjolnir, named after the Norse god Thor's hammer.
The sequels, again helmed by writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, are slated for release in 2003 - Reloaded in the spring and Revolutions in the fall. "The first Matrix was kind of like an oxymoron: It was like a smart action picture," producer Joel Silver said. "If you wanted to just enjoy the picture as an action movie with some incredible fights and gunfights and things that are...generally accepted as action elements...they're there. but...it dealt with a philosophical notion of what is reality. ...It made people think, and it was brilliantly made. The directors...I believe, are really anxious to see the continuing of the story."
The two sequels pick up the narrative of Neo, Trinity and Morpheus in their crusade against the machines that have enslaved the human race. The sequels reunite the original cast and add Jada Pinkett Smith, Harold Perrineau Jr., Harry Lennix, Monica Belluci and Nona Gaye (who takes over the role originally slated for the late R&B singer Aaliyah), as well as twin karate experts Neil and Adrian Rayment, who will play The Twins.
"The [Wachowski] brothers have put up some great obstacles to test [Neo's new] powers," Reeves said. "And this story kind of goes outside of the Matrix and starts to concern itself with the machines in Zion. So it's almost what he can do in the Matrix is not enough. And he's still on the path of discover and choice. ...He's told by the Oracle that he has...some choices that he'll have to make that will affect the survival of the human race. And there's some hard choices. And I guess it's all of us trying to save the world. And the development between Neo and Trinity is explored. And Morpheus. And Smith...It's really the development of the hero journey for my character. Just the new challenges, new choices. And it's not so much about being born, you know? It's like he wanted to find out where he was. Now he knows. Or he thinks he does."
Naturally, expectations are running high for the sequels, which were shot concurrently- first in Alameda, Calif., then in Sydney- over 240 days in 2001 and 2002. The first Matrix broke ground with it's combination of anime-influenced visuals, kung-fu action and dazzling special effects- including the by-now familiar "bullet-time" sequences, in which motion slowed to a crawl.
"When we made the first movie, we didn't have an enormous amount of money to work with and...the boys had very specific ideas about a particular visual effect they wanted to explore, and we were able to use it four times in the picture, and ... we called it "bullet-time," Silver said. "[That] was in the Stone Age...They decided that in these two movies they would create visual effects that could never be copied. So we have done visual effects in this movie that, because of the time it took them to make and the cost, we'll never see again. So I really think that the bar has risen so high that there is no more bar. And this will...end the way movies have been made up to now, because it can't go any further."
The two new films will feature more than 2,000 effects shots, said visual effects supervisor John Gaeta, who won an Academy Award for his work on the first Matrix. The new films will include a 14-minute sequence- involving helicopters zooming through the skyscrapers of downtown Sydney- that producer Silver calls "the most complicated sequence ever put on film, ever. And that won't start until the end of the show, and that's the last thing [the Wachowskis are] going to do. So they know what they're going to do, but they gotta get through it."
Silver said to expect the unexpected. "The computer is allowing us to do things that we never dreamed we could do before, and where the bullet-time sequences...were just the embryonic beginning, the embryonic stage of what the computer could do, it's just now at such a level that they can do anything they want." Silver said. "It [takes] two and a half years to create one shot, which is a reality. That's how long it's taking to do some of these [shots], and again, the [Wachowskis] have enough intellect and understand the process enough so they're able to create an arena that this stuff can exist in that could not exist anywhere else."
Gaeta added, "On the environment side, we travel to some pretty substantial places. ...We go underground to Zion, and it's a whole very culturally driven design. It's not just a rocky crevice, but there's a lot of texture in the type of people there, the way it all looks. ...Where you first arrive...that acts as the defensive front end in a transit station for all of the ships that travel through the pipes and the whole network. ...Zion itself...houses about a quarter of a million people...And then there are secret places...layered throughout Zion, deep in the Earth. ...Between Zion and the surface of the Earth we go into...many, many more tunnel-system areas. ...and then, of course, we go onto the surface of the Earth, and we see a lot more about what that's all about, and that's...shocking, horrific, fascinating."
Production designer Owen Paterson showed SCI FI Magazine a set for one of the Zion dwellings, a facade carved into a rock wall. "They kind of go in a big cylinder shape, and there's lots of layers of them," Paterson said. "You can see the mushrooms [out front] that you eat in Zion, along with the single-cell protozoa and all that sort of stuff. ...The concept of this was that...we're deep under the ground, and people need houes. And as it went along, you can see as you start putting them side by side they're kind of like tenements where they live. We built, I think, 12 of these so we could do our acting part, but also so the visual effects could use that as the texture map, if you like, then create the rest of Zion [digitally]."
There will, of course, be fights, including sophisticated wire work, again choreographed by Hong Kong martial-arts master Yuen Woo Ping. "[Weaving] and I just have been fighting and fighting and fighting," Reeves said. He added, "Neo fights with some weapons. Carrie-Anne...got to do some driving. Laurence had some weapons as well."
Fishburne said the heavy physical activity took its toll. "Carrie-Anne and I were injured during the very beginning stages of our training for Reloaded and Revolutions," he said. "Keanu was recovering from surgery on the first one. Hugo was injured on the first one. A couple of times. ...A lot of people, I think, don't understand how incredibly taxing all this work is physically. If you look at...The Matrix Revisited [the video featurette on the making of The Matrix], there's a small clip of Keanu at rest, talking to someone. And there's steam rising off of his head...No special effect. The amount of time and the hours that we were required to train are the kind of hours that professional athletes deal with. And when we're working on wires, we come down, and we're bruised. When we fight with each other, we're often making contact with each other and walking away bruised. You get little nicks, cuts, sprains."
Some of the fights are enhanced with visual effects supervisor Gaeta said. "We want to show Neo as having, you know, extra-special powers - super powers," he said. "What we're going to do is create virutal characters, which are like fully [computer-generated] characters, and fully CG environments. But we will do so in a fashion that has never been seen before. It will be the state of the art, undoubtedly. ...And part of that involves a very thorough approach to getting the best and most complex [fight] choreography that one can."
Unlike other recent films, the two Matrix sequels will for the most part use physical sets, rather than computer-generated or miniature ones, production designer Paterson said. "There's some fantastic sequences in that we've specifically built some rather big sets, [including] one at Alameda, which was this...tenement. It's [for a] series of fights. ...In the first film we built one subway station. We're building four in this one. So there's a kind of an exponential scale-up of everything."
Everyone gets a new look as well. For Neo, costume designer Kym Barrett devised a tight-fitting wool cassock with an almost clerical feel to it. "We thought that...he comes into the second movie with a new confidence in himself and what he's doing," she said. "I wanted to give him something with a little more regal feeling to it. I mean, he's not totally confident, but he believes in something now. He believes in himself. And it's kind of religious in a way."
For the twins, Barrett came up with something she called "Jon Bon Jovi meets Southern evangelist." "We wanted them to be kind of ghosly, but they're a little cheeky, they're a little mean," she said.
For Trinity, Barrett reserved the same shiny black latex as in the first film, but with a twist. "I think [Barrett]'s just taken the movie to a whole 'nother level as well, just like everyone else has," Moss said. "I think...that costumes are a little bit more...extreme, perhaps. ...What's so wonderful about the costumes, for me, anyway, is that as soon as I slip into my Trinity outfit, I'm her. And so the costumes give me a big part of my character. And you really appreciate that in a movie like this."
Once the trilogy is complete, Fishburne predicted that the three Matrix movies will change the way films are conceived. "The things that they're creating are really going to change the way that we're able to make films 25 years from now," he said. "It will be a completely changed medium, I think...[The Matrix movies are] going to be remembered as a monumental event in the history of filmmaking."

via fark, of all places...you can join the discussion thread here.

British philosopher says probability is 20-25% that we already live in the Matrix.

Of course, they can't resist the cheap shot..

The Matrix depicted humans farmed for energy by computers that, in return, ensnared their minds in a vast simulation that made even Keanu Reeves's acting look convincing - almost.

Assmonkey.

Thanks to kaz for this news from Sydney:

Matrix industry worth $200m to economy
By Garry Maddox
August 23 2002

Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss have gone home, Keanu Reeves won't be far behind and Hugo Weaving is making a mini-series in Melbourne.

After more than 200 filming days, the two sequels to The Matrix are finally finishing their Sydney shoot.

While Fox Studios has hosted some major productions since it opened - including Mission: Impossible 2 and the last Star Wars episode - The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions have been a virtual industry.

The Premier, Bob Carr, said yesterday that the "giant undertaking" involved 800 full-time and 2500 part-time jobs over 18 months. There was work for 60 actors and 10,000 days' work for extras. "The Matrix producers say the contribution to the NSW economy exceeds $200 million."

Amid secrecy, directors Larry and Andy Wachowski started work on the sequels with a 70-day shoot for two major scenes in San Francisco. Early next month, they start a further 12-week shoot back in San Francisco.

Reloaded is to open in US cinemas next May with Revolutions following in November.

Earlier this year, producer Joel Silver said the final weeks of the Sydney shoot involved "a 14-minute sequence that is the most complicated sequence ever put on film". This period included three shoots from a helicopter on consecutive Sundays to give a "canyon-like perspective" of the city around dusk.

Silver also said the sequels aimed to be about something meaningful rather than just escapist action. "It's so weird to say this but it's a treatise on our times and where we're going and how to not go there. It's about global warming and the Catholic Church. It's about all that stuff that's going on in our lives that we can't really grab on to." The sequels were not separate movies. "It is one enormous movie that's being cut in half and being shown in two halves."

Reeves, who returns as the hacker-turned-hero Neo, gave a glimpse of the plot at a press conference. "The story goes outside The Matrix and starts to concern itself with machines in Zion. [Neo] is told by the Oracle that he has - it's not a destiny - choices that he will have to make that will affect the survival of the human race."

As well as Weaving, the Australian actors in the sequels include Robyn Nevin, Steve Bastoni and Lachy Hulme.

Um....

WHEEEEEE! He's coming home!!!

I don't know why but I just feel better when he's not half a world away.

Here's another link from kaz, too (I think it's basically the same news, focusing more on the positive effect to Aus. economy)

Always coming through with good things from down under, the lovely kaz was lucky enough to attend the Matrix Filmmaker Series that I mentioned in July, and gracious enough to allow me to share her report here.
It sounds like they remained pretty tight-lipped about the upcoming films, but there's lots of cool info about the making of the first one.

And now, here's kaz...

"ahhh..what can I say...I had the most excellent time!!! I could go back every monday for the rest of my life!

It's all becoming blurry but I will try and think of some snippets...a couple of interesting things about the first Matrix (to me anyway).

Owen said in a "normal" film, in the scene with Keanu outside the window that the actor would have been on a set with a green screen but the W bro's wanted Keanu up 32 stories high outside a real window and they were a bit dubious...it was also Keanu on an actual roof when he was dragged along by the rope. ["Whoa! He's a madman, I tell you."--krix] The kicking butt sequence with the helicopter in the background was an actual roof too, but they couldn't find the right flat roof so they built a level on top of the existing roof..

The Office building where Morpheus was interrogated was a man-built set piece with three offices side by side and quite high..with an outside just like a city building. Apparently, if they needed 50 lights inside when shooting the normal speed scenes, when they did the bullet time (e.g., when Morpheus was shot in the knee) they needed 10 times that..so they had 500 lights up there. The Offices had to be made of steel because at certain points they had 200 crew members stuffed inside.

The rooftop scene at the beginning with Trinity was filmed a month into shooting and they had been looking for rooftops to shoot on..apparently, in Chicago..alot of the City roofs are flat and close together so you can run along the top of them...not so in Sydney..so they ended up building the entire set with borrowed backdrops of San Fransico and Texas!!

Owen mentioned that the blue/green colour bias really came into being DURING the shoot, so that when the Neo interrogation scene was filmed in a cream room(with no green tonings) the director of photography, Bill Pope, shot with a green bias..and then they continued this throughout the film.

He said the the W's liked to pull people into a shot..or push them out of it..or follow them along..but that there were not very many diagonal shots in the film..

Of interest to me was that they digitally tried to remove all trees and plantlife from The Matrix so it would look not so alive and not quite right. Owen said that the only trees/flowers in the movie were deliberately put in The Oracle's apartment, on the wallpaper and her dress.. and that they wanted it to be the only scene in The Matrix that looked warm and homey.."

slight spoiler ahead (very vague, mostly technical)....

"John G. was extremely interesting..you could see he really only skimmed the surface of what he wanted so say (he is quite yummy in real life) ["How was his hair?--krix]. He said that Bullet Time was a real bitch and that they have gone was PAST that now he said that technology is so advanced now you can do anything..so there isn't really any Bullet Time in the sequels..apparently with Bullet Time it is a real pain to keep a smooth line with the action and not have it be shaky or jerky. In Revisited, I think, when you see them using the laser pointer to pinpoint where the cameras go..and they had to be mapped out and follow a line..now they can have the cameras anywhere and they use the laser pointer wherever they want in the room.

Gaeta mentioned that even though other movies were utilising Bullet Time they weren't doing it with the same precision, so they are short shots and the end result is fuzzy..

Gaeta mentioned that what you thought were dead ends in the film, are not. That when you see the sequels you will see that things in the original, which you had hardly noticed,are there for a reason.. alot of things in 2&3 relate back to the first one." [This is very cool. Gads, I can't wait for these movies.."--krix]

Again, I thank her for allowing me to share this.

(pics from The Matrix are from the amazing collection of 600 DVD captures found at keanu.org. Please go over there and check them out and click some ads while you're at it.)

When I put together this blog, I decided to forgo link buttons and assorted other clutter. I like the crisp clean look of a few black and white Keanu pics over on the side.
BUT...
I decided to break my own rule and made a little graphic to permanently link to the Re-Broadcast The Matrix petition (I wish they would have said "re-release" but whatever) over on the right. Since the idea is to get signatures I figured that something slightly eye-catching was in order.
If you haven't already, please go sign it. As far as I can tell, your info is not made public on this.

Thanks.

There is now a petition for the theatrical re-release of the original Matrix.

I love how they have worded it.

"...Among the undersigned, many of the individuals that have become avid fans of "The Matrix" have been limited to experiencing this complex and pioneering film domestically and feel that it is a detriment to the entertainment value of the trilogy as a whole, due to their alienation from the complexity and clarity of this film as it was intended to be seen...."

We demand it.

Please go sign it now.

For me, for yourself, for the children......won't somebody think of the children!!???

(via thematrixonline.com)

In the newest issue of Cinescape, Keanu pulls his shift on the hype machine.

"It's just harder, more sophisticated," Reeves said of the RELOADED combat "Instead of one-on-one fights, there are multi-fights and more weapons."

Read the whole article here, including a mention of injury suffered by our hero.
*gasp*
I know, I try not to think about it...

Via CountingDown.com, which has several Matrix articles for your perusal.

In other news:
I want to thank Andrea of Spleenville for pointing out an IE6 bug I had, and Sekimori for helping me fix it. Actually Craig had mentioned this to me before, too, but I was clueless as to how to fix it.
Anyhoooo, I hope it's fixed now. If someone reading with IE6 could tell me if it is, that'd be swell.

Lastly, my widdle kitty-baby-boy says "MAOW!" to everyone that wished him well.
He was at the vet all weekend with an abscess behind his eye. He's home now, looking all "Raging Bull" with stiches on his brow and enough feisty-ness to make giving him his antibiotics a real ordeal. I thought about posting pictures, but it's just too gross. To answer a question from earlier comments: He's an orange long-haired tabby. He's my baby. He's the handsomest cat in the world. Click here if you want to see him.

A new section has been added to the binary access goodies at the Official Site
The code is 11101000.

I haven't looked at it yet, I need more caffeine do deal with "BRAIN-in-a-VAT skepticism".

..and check this out! (flash required)
A look at The Animatrix....

Also, McFarlane Toys just announced that they are working with Warner Bros. to Create Action Figures Based on "The Matrix" Trilogy Characters

"Powered by unique visual moments and strongly identifiable characters, The Matrix films are perfectly suited for action figures," said McFarlane Toys Founder Todd McFarlane. "We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at Warner Bros. to create a Matrix action figure line that reflects the trilogy's highly stylized and innovative storytelling."

Whatever, dude. Just make them widely available so we don't end up having to buy crappy knock-offs at eBay.
Free ones for webmisstressesises would be lovely, too.

Looks like advance tickets for the sequels will be available at getthematrix.com. Nothing but a "coming soon" message there for now, though.
Thanks to Miho for that bit of info.

Also, for those of you lucky enough to be in Sydney, there will be a live discussion event with "an opportunity for you to meet some of the key creatives behind the making of the MATRIX films", including ZACH STAENBERG and JOHN GAETA. Go to popcorntaxi.com for all the info, including dates, times and ticket prices.
Thanks to KeanuWeb and Jena for that great news.
I sure would like to be able to attend that, if only to see how J-Gae is wearing his hair these days.

Another reason you should head on over to KeanuWeb is to order yourself the extremely cool theatrical poster through the link on their front page.
It's all 3-D holographic and stuff. I'm planning on getting one soon.
It'll look great next to the holographic Johnny M one I have (that's still waiting to be framed).

I'm still on page 47 of Simulacra and Simulation. I started reading it again after not picking it up for a while.
And from There is No Spoon, comes this link to The Simulation Argument.

It all makes my brain hurt. Maybe I need to start doing Ginko speedballs or something. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's Dogstar deprivation.

I can't think..

I'm so glad I caught this little article from Counting Down (via keanuweb)

Keanu Reeves talked to The Sunday Times about the philosophy behind his character, Neo:
Reeves winces and often tugs at his hair, clearly pained by having to explain Neo's motivation -- a messiah by default which, in many ways, echoes his own awkward approach to celebrity.

The actor read the pre-existentialist philosophy of Nietzsche, the willpower theories of Arthur Schopenhauer and the empiricist teachings of David Hume to create Neo's mindframe.

"All of this is synthesised into 'how to be' and the kind of character Neo is in terms of how he views the world -- in terms of how he asks questions," Reeves said.

"He is always saying 'What is truth?' and he is searching for his life. He rejects fate and he doesn't want someone else's destiny.

"In terms of an academic discussion, I don't have the facilities to do that. In terms of a contrast and compare -- the Nietzsche in Superman, or Neo as reluctant hero or messiah -- I can't do that. Larry Wachowski could do that. I can't do that."

Because, frankly...I sure couldn't either.

Thanks to kaz for this picture of the helicopter from the big whoop-dee-do 14 minute sequence.

It's going to be a "Matrixy" day. I can just feel it.
If it wasn't the start of monsoon season (as in-it's no longer a dry heat) I'd be breaking out the PVC to wear on this casual Friday. As it is, I'll just run my fingers through my hair a few times until I have achieved the proper "wet ferret" look and pay homage to Revisited.

Edited to add:
This link to some news over at matrixfans.net.
*spoiler warning*
I just glanced at it. I saw the words "Keanu" and "Porsche", though, so you might want to give it a peep.

CNN reports that the release date for Reloaded has been moved up a day.

I'm still waiting on my invite, Warner Bros......

Also, new dates have been given for the Japan Dogstar shows.
Check out this link for info. (in japanese)
(Thanks to Miho for this, she has the dates and info in english on her site)

Popping in..errr, on...whatever, to say thanks to kaz for this bit o'news.
and this link:
All the world's a stage . . . Filming stunts for the Matrix sequel in Sydney's CBD.

Here's hoping that this sequence is shot spectacularly, smoothly and most important...safely.

There's more info about it over at The Matrix Online. *SPOILER WARNING*
(no, I did not look)

Ever since the most recent article from The Globe hit my inbox, I've been very, very troubled.
I knew that the making of The Matrix sequels was a huge undertaking that asked so much blood, sweat and tears of the actors involved. Far away from loved ones, facing long hours and possible injury. What kind of harsh taskmasters are the Wachowski brothers anyway? I'm looking forward to the sequels as much as anyone, but I'm wondering if the price paid is far, far too great.

Laurence Fishburne has literally worked his ass off.

::sniffle::


I searched the web for pictures of Laurence's former gluteal glory so I could try and determine when exactly this happened.

I'm pretty sure Laurence had a tuckus way back in the days of Cowboy Curtis.

Those chaps didn't defy gravity by themselves.

And I just saw him in Quicksilver recently, where he played a bicycle courier, and we know a man with no butt can't ride a bike.

But I believe Laurence had "back" as recently as the original Matrix film, although it's hard to discern with the length of the jacket that Morpheus wore.

And this may very well be a stunt-butt..

But in other scenes, it's definitely there, in all its muscular, toned wonderfulness. Refer to the dojo scene, or the fight with Smith, if you need confirmation.

So what happened in Sydney this time? One more mystery of The Matrix, I suppose..kind of like that phantom hand in the FedEx scene, maybe Laurence's ass will appear again when we least expect it.

While investigating this I did find out some interesting things about Mr. Fishburne.
Like that he works with UNICEF, is a a playwright and a critically acclaimed stage actor.

So it's pretty safe to say that the sum of Laurence's talents extend much beyond a bodacious boo-tay, but still...
If the price of the mind-blowing Matrix Trilogy is those sweet, sweet Fishcheeks...

Well, that's a darn shame.

(pictures from various sources, including the Keanu pic-of-the-day club, matrix-posters.com, x-entertainment and keanu.org)
also, thanks to Jo.

Thanks to the Forums over at MatrixFans.net, I found out that one of the books on the "Required Reading" list for The Matrix sequels, Kevin Kelly's Out Of Control, can be read online.

The first chapter is Neo-Biological Civilization.

Heh, Neo-Biological....I'm twelve.

Anyway, I just peeked at it.
I'm still working on Simulacra and Simulation. Maybe I'll be done with it by next May.

Thank you to Ann for sending me this article from news.com.au about the upcoming helicopter sequence shoot.

Geez, this sounds exciting.
Make this reason # 45,923 for why I'd love to live in Sydney.

I knew changing my number to put a stop to Joel Silver's late-night drunken phone calls would come back to bite me on the ass....

This part shoulda been mine! *spoiler warning*

Oh well, at least Gaeta's not leaving dirty limericks on my voicemail anymore.

Here's a fun site with some Matrix spoofs, games and e-cards.

Their t-shirt cracks me up.

(found via thematrixonline.
::waves at nerje::)

He'd love to spend the night in Zion He's been a long while in Babylon He'd like a lover's wings to fly on To a tropic isle of Avalon ~Rush, Digital Man

I got a copy of the Rushian Matrix sync yesterday.
It's pretty cool. I'm not a big Rush fan or anything so I didn't know most of the songs but I still enjoyed it. After watching The Matrix so many times, it kind of gives a fresh look. There were a lot of times I caught something visually that I hadn't noticed before. (If I'd took notes yesterday, I'd remember exactly when. But I didn't so I don't. You'll just have to trust me on this.)
Plus the Sync-ing in general was pretty cool. The opening scene rocked. So did the Dojo fight scene.

As I was watching I found myself waxing nostaligic about MTV in the 80's.
Gather 'round kiddies...MTV used to play....*gasp*...music videos.
It's true.
Like, 24 hours a day, they played them.
And the bands? Some of them weren't even good looking!
I'm not making this up.

Anyway, I give the The Rushian Matrix a thumbs up.

Go the the website and email Dave to see about getting your own copy.

"Smilin' Jack Ruby" over at CHUD.com got to go down to Sydney, hang out with Garth from Dark Horizons and visit the set of Reloaded/Revolutions.

The rat bastard, he isn't spilling anything about the new movies.

He did do something I would do, however. He visited locations around town that we saw in The Matrix and took pictures.
The bridge where the "bug extraction" was set under, the fountain in the agent training/woman in the red dress scene....
He even got to climb the "Deja Vu" staircase! Augh! Some people have all the fun.
Oh well, I get free beer and lemur love, so I really can't bitch.

Anyway, Go check out his report and the pictures over at CHUD.

Check out the part about the inside joke about Columbia's screening room at the bottom.
Heh.

If you missed last week's spot on Access Hollywood about the Matrix stunts, you can go check out the transcript and screen shots posted by antitheorum over at haywired.com.

There's also an interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald where Mr. Joel Silver taunts us further with exciting little tidbits about what we can expect in Reloaded and Revolutions.

(both links via Keanuweb)

In other news, I keep hearing songs from The Matrix Soundtrack on car commercials, including a very craptastic version of Spybreak for a local Saturn dealership, and it's really starting to irritate me.

According to UpcomingMovies.com, the release date for The Matrix Reloaded has been moved up to May 16, 2003. (Thanks, Sharon)

I really need to start thinking about how I am going to finagle my way into an invite to this premiere. Anyone got any ideas?

Miho, over at 999squares.net posted a link to a remix of the teaser trailer done by a fan.
I have to say I really like it. It doesn't have the voice-over by Morpheus but the editing and the new music are very cool.
I sometimes think that things like this, done by fans, are so much better than the professional results. And I'm not just saying that because I want to design CD covers and T-shirts for Dogstar.

kd's post last night of some Rush lyrics reminded me of The Rushian Matrix.
It's the same concept as watching The Wizard of Oz while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.
Sounds like fun.

I am SO the Wachowskis' bitch.
I don't mind the hype beginning a year in advance at all. It's sweetly cruel of them to start doling out crumbs this early on. I expect I'll be so insane by next spring I'll either be in a straightjacket, camping out for a month in Westwood, or somewhere in Amish country because I just couldn't take the wait and ANY technology is a painful reminder.

No, not yet...but I just got
THIS (click to pop-up) in email.
Look for them at the official site on Wednesday night.
Hee! I love it when Morpheus emails me. How cool is that picture with the birds?
Damn, these movies are going to be breathtaking....

The Matrix will be shown at this year's Australian Sci-Fi Film Festival.

If you're in Sydney, it's at 4:45 on the 11th (that's today for you, hurry!)
and in Melbourne next month on the 17th at 7pm.

What could possibly be more lovely?

Thanks to TheMatrixOnline for this info-

Next week, Entertainment Tonight will have a look at the Reloaded teaser trailer and also at a teaser for Revolutions.

From the article on ET's website:

"The sequel carves a continuation of [my character] Neo's journey and his quest to find out the truth," Keanu reveals to ET. "It's more about the conflict with the machines and the humans."

First off, credit goes to Miho for this info.

Time magazine has an article on The Matrix Reloaded in the May 13 issue, and it can be read online here. There's even a gallery with seven pictures, 3 of which are Keanu. Man, he wears that black coat so well....rowrrrrrr.Also, faithful readers might remember me asking if those were keys in the background during the Entertainment Tonight interviews a while back. Well, they were. It seems there's a "Key Maker" in the story.
MMmmm, I know a Ke I'd like to make, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
So, go NOW and check out the article.
I would put a *spoiler* alert here, but I doubt any of these bits will actually spoil the movies for you. But if you're strong enough to be a purist, and hey...more power to ya, Don't read the article.

So I got my copy of "There Are No Flowers in the Real World" by David Lapham. It's A story set in the world of The Matrix. In a nutshell, NO NEO.
The main character wears shades and rides a motorcycle, but his name is Rocket. It's still a nifty story, with all those matrix-y things we love, and a bit of humor as well (when Rocket tries calling his Operator on the second page, he gets the answering machine...Bwah!).
I can't believe I couldn't talk anyone into spending Saturday morning riding around town going to comic stores with me. But even with the "one per customer" rule, I did manage to get three copies. One to read, one to send to my friend in the evil state of Utah where they apparently don't think of Matrix comics as a worthwhile endeavor, and one to keep ensconced in plastic forever. I promised the guys at the shops I would mention them, so big lemur smooches to Comic Oasis, Inc. and to Dreamwell Comics.
This is the first published Matrix comic, aside from that promotional one that they released and then recalled for content. I have a copy of that in plastic and I haven't even looked at it to see what was so objectionable. I mean, I'm doubting there's a whole homoerotic Epoch/Tank subplot so I can't even imagine what would even qualify.

This Just In:
The head of UNLV's film department just called me and told me that NO, no major productions have filmed on campus. He did say that he has heard of some students that might be putting together a Matrix-like short and he will call me back if he hears anything. Super nice guy. I'm not suprised since his first name begins with a "K".

So there's this story on TheMatrixOnline.com regarding a story at CountingDown.com (I think the whole thing originated as a forum post at ComingSoon.net)claiming that Keanu was in my little town shooting scenes to Reloaded a couple weeks ago.
Well, since I know how many of you are looking to me to confirm or deny what goes on in my own backyard, I decided to look into it, seeing as how I didn't have anything better to do this morning. I bothered several people at UNLV (well, I called them anyway, but I can assure you they were pretty bothered by it. Except the guy that laughed at me) and this is what I have found out. Any major production that seeks permission to film on campus would have to go through the President of the University's office. The woman I spoke to there had no idea what I was talking about. Although I will say that she said "I don't know" rather strangely. Probably because I was yammering like an idiot trying to keep a straight face while I tried to say the phrase "Chasing down an internet rumor".The guy with the undeterminable accent in the film department said he had no idea, but he put me through to the Head of the film department's voice mail. So I REALLY bothered this guy by asking him to take time out of his busy day and call me with any info. I really don't expect to get a call. I would like to know if maybe some students were filming a Matrix spoof or something, because THAT would be interesting (plus this rumor could be great publicity since it's on all the Matrix boards)
I personally think that this is a false report. It makes no sense for many reasons, Here's a few:
a) UNLV has nothing especially unique to offer, besides the ugliest piece of campus art in history, to the production of a sci-fi film. If they were looking for a special trapeze or something they would have used one of the Strip's La Cirque-type shows rehearsal arena. But even that is something easily built in Austraila, anyway.
b) The guy that submitted the report says he works as security at UNLV. I can tell you that UNLV has its own police department and you better NOT call them security guards because they will get very very pissy and make you pour out all your beers in the parking lot before they let you into the Thomas and Mack.
c) I do know a couple people at and around UNLV and really, they would have called me to get my ass down there.
So I can't positively, absolutely confirm or deny this story as of yet, but that's MY take on it.
It's bullshit.
But really, what does it matter where a few scenes are filmed? I mean, besides the fact that IF it were true and IF Reeves once again dissed me, this time, in my own 'hood, well...I'm crushed.... again.... where's the love ?????
Dude, you are so lucky that "KieferVision" just does NOT roll off the tongue...

This is from the interactive chat with the Wachowskis that was held way back when..

virtualMatrix: What is the significance of Neo eating the Oracle's cookie?

WachowskiBros: There was a piece cut out of the movie that explained the significance more. It's hard to explain.

Great.This is going to bug me for days.

I hope they explain it in Reloaded.

Well, over 3000 farkers checked out the recap yesterday. So I sent the webmaster 10 bucks for his beer fund.
I'd like to quote one of the comments:

12-22-01 04:32:34 PM
Webfiend

That was a pretty good review. I'd forgotten how much fun the movie itself was, what with all of the bad Matrix jokes that have gone around. Now I'm going to have to go buy a copy of the movie, and maybe "Revisited" too.

Do you hear that Warner Brothers?
I'm helping to sell your product.
I'd like an invite to the Premire of Reloaded, please.
Thank you.
I'm not joking. I'm officially asking well over a year in advance so if anyone has any pull anywhere, I would very much like to attend.
I'll even be someone's date.

Ta DA!

I promised you Part 4 of Krix watches The Matrix Revisited and here I am, on FRIDAY night, no less, recapping, page-building and uploading my heart out.
I'm either really dedicated or a big loser.
I'm going to have a cigarette and think about it.

I'm a machine.
Part 3 of "Krix watches The Matrix: Revisited" is up.
Now, please know that the recaps are no substitute for going out and getting this DVD/video to have for your very own.

in fact, I HIGHLY recommend it....

In a nutshell, The Matrix Revisited is a treat. For Matrix fans, for Keanu fans, for EVERYBODY.
I've decided to do an in-depth commentary, thereby giving me an excuse to watch it over and over for the next few days.
You can read the first part HERE.
I'm also employing that cutting edge keanuvision labs technology....taking pictures of the teevee with a digital camera..
The lemurs just have to charge some batteries.

HEY!
Over at The Matrix Official Site you can catch a sneekpeek of Revisited.
Here's a couple of nabbed images from one of the video clips.

Wow. Look at that! I'm a total slut for a guy that can kick like that....uh, I mean, nut. You know, crazy but not in a scary way......Yeah, that's it.

Anyway.....here's another pic:

Ooooooh...fake kung-fu fighting makes me hot, too....and by hot I mean all enthusiastic about going out and buying this DVD...yeah!
Man, who am I fooling?.. And these are just clips. I'm gonna be a freaking mess on the 20th.
I seriously LOVE to watch him work.
By the way, I put the site name on the pictures so go over there and watch the stuff and buy the DVD and all that jazz. OK? Spiffy!

(OH, and Mr. WB mole, please don't sue me....thanks)